Girls soccer: Audrey Johnson's header helps Medina get long-awaited win against Magnficat

LAKEWOOD — On Wednesday night, the wait was over for the Medina girls soccer team. Thanks to a timely header by Audrey Johnson, the Bees got a measure of revenge against the team that knocked them out of the tournament the past two seasons with a 1-0 win over Magnificat in non-league play. The game was played at St. Edward High School due to the Blue Streaks not having lights on their home field. The winning play started with Nathalie Dediu lining up for a corner kick and playing the ball toward the far post, where it bounced off a few players before Myiah Parente knocked the ball to Johnson for the short header. "We always talk about the second ball and how important it is to go for it," Johnson said. "I saw it floating in the air and I just closed my eyes and threw myself in front of it. I was really pleased and, honestly, it felt surreal." The Blue Streaks (3-3-3) put a scare into Medina moments later when they lined up for a free kick and the ball appeared to glance off freshman Viv Wood's shin and into the goal, but the officials called Wood offsides and waved off the goal with 8:50 remaining. Outside of that moment, Medina (6-1-1) was solid defensively in picking up its sixth shutout victory of the season. The starting back line of Cara Petry, Kylie Casal and Larissa Eaton, among others, kept the pressure on the Blue Streaks and limited their clean looks at the goal. When a shot did get through, Brianna McCashin was there to make two saves. "It's very stressful," Casal said of defending the Blue Streaks. "It's hard as a center back to communicate to everyone, but in the end we all got it done. It all starts with us (in the back) and all we have to do is bank on our confidence. "We got it done and I'm very proud of all of us." The win was the first for the Bees against Magnificat since a 2-1 victory on Aug. 26, 2020, snapping a four-game streak without a victory. Among those decisions was a 1-0 loss in a district final last season and a 2-1 defeat in the regional semifinals in 2022. Medina improved to 2-3-3 in its past eight meetings with the Blue Streaks. The win also was the first for the Bees in a week after tying Bay 1-1 and losing to Highland 2-1. "It feels really good (to beat Magnificat)," sophomore captain Kellyn Miller said. "Especially after last year, my first year, losing in the postseason to them, all I wanted was revenge. We worked together and wanted it more than them. That shows on the scoreboard." After failing to register a shot on goal in the first half, the Bees put five on frame after halftime compared to Magnificat's two for the game and held a significant 5-0 advantage on corner kicks. That edge didn't matter for the first 70 minutes, as Blue Streaks goalie Lydia Hamad saved the first four shots she faced, including three from Medina leading scorer Caroline Schork (11 goals, 2 assists) and one by Kamryn Anderson. The Bees had a number of other close calls, including a pair of shots by Sofia Brito and others by Miller and Johnson. "We had a lot of corners and resets throughout the whole game," Johnson said. "We kept getting closer each time and I knew someone was going to get a head on it soon. "These last two practices we were working harder and pushing each other and I think today we proved Medina is still a great program." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 1, Magnificat 0 MEDINA 0 1 — 1 MAGNIFICAT 0 0 — 0 Second Me — Audrey Johnson (Myiah Parente), 10:10. Shots on goal — Medina 5, Magnificat 2. Corner kicks — Medina 5, Mangificat 0. Saves — Brianna McCashin (Me) 2, Lydia Hamad (Ma) 4. Records — Medina (6-1-1), Magnificat (3-3-3). Junior varsity — Magnificat 2, Medina 0.