Saints blank Eagles

By Roger Gonzalez
Published: September 26, 2008

Having a clinical finisher often separates good soccer teams from great teams. Logan Pehanick fit that role perfectly, registering a hat trick Friday afternoon as St. Anne’s-Belfield trounced visiting Covenant 5-0.

The Saints moved the ball well all over, stretching the field from sideline to sideline, allowing their playmakers in the midfield to distribute the ball with precision.

“I was very pleased,” said coach Mark O’Donnell. “I thought we knocked the ball around very well. Our midfield controlled the flow of the game and we played to feet.”

Pehanick performed wonderfully on the afternoon, scoring on a 40-yard dribble between defenders before placing the ball in the corner of the net. Pehanick now has 14 goals in eight games.

“He is finishing very well,” O’Donnell said. “Our team is working very well around him.”

STAB (5-3) opened up the scoring just 10 minutes in as forward Mohamed Barry struck a brilliant shot from 25 yards that ended in the lower left corner.

Shortly after, Dustin Baellow hit a similar shot that allowed Covenant no chance of stopping it.

Pehanick added a third from a corner in the middle of the first half.

The Saints controlled possession for most of the game, stretching the field with well-timed passes and great communication.

Covenant found themselves down 3-0 at the half before Pehanick’s two second-half goals sealed the deal for St. Anne’s.

Pehanick did not want to take the credit and noticed that his entire team played well.

“Everyone was getting touches in,” he said. “Everyone was getting involved — we finished well.”