The Saints played their home opener against the Eagles of Kennett High School. After school let out the players came down to the field to begin warm-ups without a bus ride.
Game Captain Matt Roginski went out for the coin toss to represent the team.
The Saints started out with the duo of Tom Carroll and Owen " Taco" Cook as strikers. Midfielders Bryan Hennigan, Justin Guilbert, Jamie and Jerry Phontharaksa. The defense was Matt Roginski as Stopper, Nick Blunier and Tom Gibney as Fullbacks and Mark Miller as Sweeper. Collin McBride was playing keeper for St. Thomas
The Saints came out on the attack quick but the JV home field is small so transitions were quick by both teams. St Thomas was making runs and the Eagles were making quick counter attacks.
Four minutes into the game Jamie Phontharaksa took a lead pass from Carroll and beat the Kennett keeper to the far side to put the Saints up 1-nil.
One minute later the Eagles made a come back scoring on McBride to tie the game 1-1. This was the first time anyone had come back to tie the score on St. Thomas.
At 7:10 Cook was fouled in the box as he was breaking and the referee called for the penalty kick. Cook took the kick, it was a blistering rocket shot that pinged off the cross bar and rebounded out almost to midfield.
8 minutes into the game the strikers were switched as Peter Bergeron and Peter Shwaegerle went in. The Saints defense tightened up and play battled back and forth in the midfield. Both Bergeron and Shwaegerle made some nice runs on the Eagles defense. There was a determined look on both their faces, they each could smell the net.
The tough St. Thomas center Defense of Roginski and Miller.
Jerry Phontharaksa makes a back heel pass to stop the Kennett advance.
Gibney takes a throw-in.
The Saints mark-up for a Kennett corner kick.
Gibney steps up to send the ball back into the attack.
20 minutes into the game Jamie Phontharaksa intercepted a pass and carried it in and beat the Eagles keeper for the second time today to break the tie and put St. Thomas up 2-1.
Taylor Macdonald and Sean Waters went in as outside midfielders, Keith Hallock and Ryan Price as center mids and Linas Kenter and Brent Snyder as Strikers.
Waters puts pressure on the Eagles attack and the defense marks up.
Miller takes a goal kick.
At the 38 minute mark Hennigan assisted Carroll on the third St. Thomas Goal.
In the second half the Saints sent in McBride and Kenter as Strikers, Hennigan and Snyder as outside mids, and the Phontharaksa brothers as center mids. The Defense was Miller at Sweeper, Blunier and Gibney as Fullbacks and Guilbert at stopper. Sean Waters was in the net as keeper for St. Thomas.
Kenter in at striker.
Blunier marks up a Kennett Striker.
Four minutes into the second half the Eagles managed to break through the Saints defense and beat Waters for their second goal of the game. The score was now 3-2 and St. Thomas was up by only one.
MacDonald makes a run but the Kennett Keeper scoops it up.
Later on the Saints took a corner kick and "T-Mac" got a head shot that went just wide of the goal.
Guilbert sends the ball back into the attack from stopper.
Play was very even as both teams battled back and forth for the next 25 minutes.
The strikers were switched up again and Bergeron and Shwaegerle went in for another shift. This was to be the most successful one yet. At the 72 minute mark Shwaegerle stole the ball and carried it in to beat the Eagles keeper and score his first high school goal. Three minutes later Bergeron beat the Kennett keeper to put the Saints up 5-2.
The game ended with St. Thomas up 5-2. The Saints out shot the Eagles 17-11. There were a lot of fouls called in this game as the referees called it tight. St. Thomas was called for 15 fouls and Kennett for12.
St. Thomas hosts Bow on Thursday.