Johnston’s hat trick gives Glass easy win

By Ted Allen

Published: May 5, 2008

Senior forward Jeanine Johnston returned from a pulled quadriceps muscle injury that sidelined her for the past two games and assaulted Jefferson Forest’s depleted defense from the start of Monday night’s non-district match at E.C. Glass.

Johnston scored the first goal less than three minutes into the game and completed her hat trick less than 90 seconds into the second to spark a 5-0 triumph.

“That was a signature game for Jeanine,” Glass coach Darien McClurg said. “Three goals and one assist on senior night … I don’t think you could have scripted it any better.”

The Hilltoppers avenged a 3-1 loss at JF, their future rivals in the Seminole District, in a game that featured a few of the future stars who will still be around when Glass moves out of the Western Valley in the fall of 2009.

“Our team is playing so well together right now, it’s amazing,” Johnston said. “The freshmen have come in and really proved themselves and helped the team tremendously.”

The Cavaliers were playing without center back Jaime White and it was evident as the Hilltoppers showcased their speed advantage on their home turf.

Freshman defender Niki Good assisted Johnston’s first goal from the top left of the box off a throw-in before freshman midfielder Ashlea Caylor set up her second, a turnaround blast from near the right post past JF starting goalkeeper Dorothy Nugent.

“We got the early goal which put them on their heels a little bit,” McClurg said. “They were down their center back, and they had a tough time organizing.”

Sophomore Jen Mawn, Glass’s third-leading scorer as a freshman playing in her first game of the season after a severe wrist injury, assisted Johnston’s third score with a short pass to the center of the box, where she pocketed the equivalent of a penalty kick into the lower right corner. She had a potential goal saved by Forest defender Jordan May’s header off the goal line.

“They came with a lot of energy tonight and played extremely well,” JF coach Stan Golon said. “They came to play and just over-ran us, basically. They did a real nice job all over the field. They were running out of the back, their outside mids were running at us really well and Jeanine was Jeanine. She’s going to Liberty (University) for a reason. She did a great job.”

After setting up Caylor with a beautiful crossing pass, freshman Dessi Dupuy capped the scoring by staying onside, running down a long through pass from Katelyn Milam and finishing a one-on-one with keeper Whitney Bonheim.

“(Dupuy is) just like a goal scorer, automatically,” Johnston said.