Gorman’s offense too much for Faith Lutheran

A good offense always beats good defense.

Bishop Gorman’s girls soccer team — behind its standout front line of Hannah Borgel, Tavin Hays and Arlie Jones — reinforced the old adage Thursday afternoon.

The Gaels controlled possession and finished with 20 shot attempts, including 14 on goal, en route to a 5-2 win over visiting Faith Lutheran.

“I think we’re such a good technical team that we’ll be able to out possess most teams,” said Gorman coach Doug Borgel, whose team improved to 7-0 on the season. “It’s just going to be, ‘Can we convert those into goals early enough to make it easy on ourselves?’ And we did that.”

Gorman converted two goals within the first 10 minutes, eliminating any potential nerves early in the match.

“It’s a good rivalry so you know you’re going to get their best,” Doug Borgel said. “We wanted to press them early. Whenever you play a team that you feel like you’re better than, you want to get the first goal to put the pressure on them and force them into a mistake.”

The Gaels benefitted from an own goal just more than two minutes into the match and continued to pressure Faith Lutheran goalkeeper Beka Lescenski throughout. Hannah Borgel took a pass from Caitlyn Rueca and sent it to the back of the net to give the Gaels a 2-0 lead in the ninth minute.

Gorman took 12 of its 20 shot attempts in the first half.

“It’s part of our philosophy,” Doug Borgel said. “We want to put balls on net and put the keeper under pressure and make them make saves.”

Lescenski, who finished second in Southern Nevada last season with 16 shutouts, made nine saves but it wouldn’t be enough for the Crusaders (2-3-1), who won last season’s Division I-A state championship.

“She had a good game, but I think some of the goals we scored, there’s not a chance for her there,” Doug Borgel said.

Faith Lutheran, however, never went away and proved it could compete in Class 4A this season.

Maggie Shuirman scored an unassisted goal from 18 yards out to trim the deficit to 2-1 in the 12th minute.

But Gorman responded three minutes after, when goalkeeper Kirsten Kircher sent a ball 40 yards to a running Hannah Borgel in the center of the field. After running by a defender, Hannah Borgel gently kicked the ball above a charging Lescenski to give the Gaels a 3-1 halftime lead.

Faith Lutheran was aggressive to start the second half, particularly in the first 10 minutes. After taking just three shot attempts in the first half, the Crusaders finished with 13 shots.

Shuirman assisted on Mary Martinez’s header less than a minute into the second half, and the Crusaders nearly tied the match on a couple of occassions after.

But Gorman’s Arlie Jones took over late.

Jones, who is committed to Southern California, assisted a goal by Hays in 49th minute, and then lasered in a 25-yard kick of her own with seven minutes to play to make it 5-2.

“She is as good as she wants to be,” Doug Borgel said of Jones. “There are times when she takes a few minutes off here and there, but you can tell when she gets it and wants to go at people. No one can stop her. She’s just a fantastic, technical player.”