The ball hit the cross bar and crossed the goal line. Senior Jordan Clarke’s body went numb. Tears filled her eyes as she scored the winning goal against Archbishop Spalding for the women’s varsity soccer team.

On Oct. 10, the team beat Spalding for the first time in six years. The final score was 1-0, with Clarke scoring in the first minute of overtime.

“[Freshman] Kristen Isoldi was dribbling up the side of the field and beat her defender to the inside. I got the ball from her right outside the top of the box, took a couple touches and had about an inch of daylight and shot the ball as hard as I could at the goal. The ball hit the crossbar, came down behind Spalding’s goalie, and bounced in the goal,” Clarke said.

In addition to a victory for JC, Clarke achieved a personal victory for herself. “This was my first game winning goal in my entire life,” she said.

According to Clarke, there were many fans in the stands because it was their breast cancer awareness game. “The fans and JC students deserve to be recognized for coming out and supporting the team, especially the guys who painted themselves pink. They pumped the team up and the energy we felt was awesome,” Clarke said.

According to Coach Gary Lynch, “The girls had a lot more intensity the second time around. It was their breast cancer awareness game so it was a great atmosphere with a lot of support from the school.”

Even though the team lost 5-0 to Spalding earlier this season, they came out this game with a “positive outlook.” “Our entire team fought relentlessly and tenaciously the entire game. The whole team worked so hard to win and I was happy that I could score for my teammates and coaches,” Clarke said.

According to Clarke, “we also raised a lot money for breast cancer, which made the night even better.”

Haley Kyger is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.