COTTLEVILLE – Francis Howell senior Maggie Mudd felt hesitant to create her own offense.
The senior captain contributes to her team in several other ways, including draw controls and ground ball collection, but through the first half of the season, the senior captain averaged fewer than one goal per game.
“I’m pretty good at shooting in practice, I just get really tense in games and I want to wait for the perfect cut,” Mudd said.
Mudd threw caution to the wind on Saturday, unleashing her wicked left-handed shot to score six goals and lead Francis Howell to an 11-4 victory over Francis Howell Central on Saturday in the opening game of the Francis Howell School District round-robin event.
Francis Howell (4-5) made it a doubleheader sweep with a 22-7 victory over Francis Howell North later that morning.
“We’re all very happy about how these games turned out,” Mudd said. “It’s been a tough season, so it really boosted our spirits to win against our rivals.”
The Vikings averaged only 6.7 goals per game in losing five of their first six contests before Mudd splashed the net for five goals in a 13-2 win against Pattonville on Thursday.
With her tall frame, quick first step and smooth lefty stroke, Mudd continued to clump together goals on Saturday, earning a hat trick by the 5:42 mark of the first half in the round-robin opener against Howell Central (8-2).
Her most impactful goal occurred early in the second half with the Vikings facing a two-player disadvantage.
Francis Howell sophomore goalie Natalia Fletcher intercepted a Spartans’ centering pass and hoisted a pass towards midfield that Mudd collected on a nifty scoop. Fifty yards later, Mudd converted a scintillating shorthanded goal that gave the Vikings a 7-2 lead.
“I’m sometimes on edge to shoot, but once we get ahead in the game, I feel more comfortable going for a risky shot,” Mudd said.
It was the first of four consecutive goals for Francis Howell in a span of 3 minutes and 32 seconds, and the Vikings opened up an eight-goal cushion with 18:39 remaining in the game.
Mudd completed her exceptional game by converting a free position shot and finishing a centering feed from Toebben with a pinpoint, left-handed missile.
“I feel like there’s more space to shoot on one side (of the goal) if you’re left-handed,” said Mudd, who will continue her playing career at Benoit College in Wisconsin.
In a quick turnaround, the Vikings faced off 15 minutes later against well-rested Francis Howell North (9-4).
This time, it was sophomore Rhianne Toebben who asserted herself offensively and inserted her name onto the scoresheet.
The sophomore midfielder, who had scored only four goals during the season and none in the win over Francis Howell Central, drove to the net and scored 25 seconds into the contest.
She snuck a free position shot under the crossbar two minutes later and earned her hat trick on a tough drive through the teeth of the Knights’ defense, as the Vikings built an 8-3 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game.
“I didn’t feel I needed to (score), I just had more opportunities, and I trusted my teammates would back me up if I missed my shots,” Toebben said.
Toebben’s most impressive contribution came from her defensive performance while guarding the area’s leading scorer, Kendra Swope of Francis Howell North. First, she made it difficult for the Grand Valley State commit to receive the ball. Then, she prevented her from getting a head of steam towards the goal once she did receive it.
“I also play basketball, so I’ve done faceguarding before,” Toebben said. “The No. 1 goal was to not let her catch it. Then, don’t let her get a step ahead of me, and if she does, yell ‘Crash’ and call for help.”
Toebben and the Francis Howell defense held Swope to a season-low four goals.
Toebben, Mudd and junior Emma Vietor did their part in earning possession around the draw circle, and the overall defense of Francis Howell proved just as impressive as the 33 goals the Vikings’ offense scored.
Senior defender Jasmine Brink played like a free safety in the midfield, anticipating plays and intercepting passes that quickly led to goals, and Fletcher proved to be a brick wall in net as the final line of defense.
Brink was rewarded for her defensive excellence by cutting through the middle, receiving a pass and scoring her first goal of the season with 12 seconds remaining in the half to give Francis Howell a 15-6 lead at intermission.
“I know my role is as a defender, so having the opportunity to be on the draw circle, bring it all the way down, and then have your teammates trust you to shoot is such a great feeling,” Brink said.
Trust has been the key to the Vikings’ recent three-game winning streak, including the impressive doubleheader victory on Saturday.
“We’re a very emotional team, and sometimes, we get in our heads and play separated, but we bonded during these games and proved that we can really work together,” Mudd said.
And, for the Vikings, Saturday was the perfect day to show it.
“I had this day underlined in red on my calendar,” Toebben said. “It feels great to beat our rivals.”
in the final game of the Francis Howell School District round-robin, Francis Howell Central defeated Francis Howell North 23-14.