Jaguars down LH in girls soccer action

Sep 22, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 5 min read

Thomas Jefferson scored two late goals to turn a close match into a comfortable victory over Laurel Highlands on Monday in Section 3-3A girls soccer play at Mustang Field.

The Mustangs (2-2-0, 2-5-0) scored the opening goal when Kenna Frye found the back of the net, but the Jaguars (2-1-1, 3-4-2) tallied the next four for a 4-1 triumph.

Frey’s tally came at 27:12 of the first half for a 1-0 lead.

The sequence to the score began when Laurel Highlands won possession and had a throw-in roughly 28 yards from goal. The two sides battled for possession, and the Mustangs’ Camilla Frantz won the ball on the left side before centering the ball to the middle of the field. Gracie Cicci corralled the ball 20 yards from the goal and made a run but couldn’t pull the trigger on the shot before Frey gained possession and buried a right-footed shot to the right of Thomas Jefferson keeper Nyla Kiral, who came out to challenge the attempt.

The Jaguars started to pressure the home club following Frey’s goal, which started with a run at 20:10 of the first half, but Laurel Highlands keeper Addison Stroko came out of her net and kicked the threat away. Thomas Jefferson had an attempt sail over the crossbar at 17:11 and Diya Bharati’s one timer at 16:15 of the opening 40 minutes went over the net.

Stroke pounced on a cross attempt with 15 minutes remaining in the first half and controlled a free kick from 51 yards out to keep her team in the lead at the 14-minute mark.

The Jaguars tied the match on a penalty kick when Laurel Highlands was called for a foul in the box. Kayla Marcinko hit the bottom of the crossbar and the ball went into the net with 8:03 left in the first half on Thomas Jefferson’s first attempt on target.

The Jaguars had an opportunity to take the lead before the first half ended when a chance presented itself inside the 18-yard box, but the Mustangs’ Camryn McClean cleared the ball out of danger with 2:25 remaining to keep the score level at the half.

TJ continued to press as the second half began, and Marcinko had a shot head wide right of the cage at 37:35.

The Jaguars earned the only corner kick of the match three minutes later, but the attempt was thwarted by Laurel Highlands, who gained possession.

Stroko stopped a shot at 33:15 on an elevated shot that she didn’t have to jump to snag.

Thomas Jefferson scored the game-winning goal at 32:52 of the second half after the Mustangs turned the ball over. Vivian Barron netted the first of two tallies for a 2-1 advantage.

There was a question by Laurel Highlands if the goal would stand, as the assistant referee had raised the offside flag prior to Barron putting the ball in the net, but the head referee ruled a good goal, which caused an uproar from the home crowd.

Less than a minute after play resumed following the tally, the referee stopped the match and warned several spectators to tone down their displays of frustration.

The crowd calmed down for the majority of the match, but one more outburst led to an ejection.

The Mustangs had an opportunity at 29:35 of the second half when Ella Doman won the ball at midfield, made a quick turn and raced toward the final third before Kiral came out to challenge the attempt. The two collided, the ball drifted away from the net prior to the Jaguars clearing the zone of any danger.

A Thomas Jefferson player was shown yellow at 23:09 of the second half, and even though the individual had to sit for five minutes per rule, Laurel Highlands wasn’t able to take advantage.

Barron had a shot go to the left of the net at 22:05 before Doman’s attempt traveled off target with 18:24 remaining.

Stroko dove on an attempt with 12:16 left to keep the deficit at 2-1 before a Mustang player was shown yellow at 10:37.

Doman’s free kick from 21 yards out went to the right of the goal, and in the ensuing scrum for possession, Kiral landed on the ball seven minutes before full time.

Stroko made a save on a shot from 20 yards out with 5:25 remaining.

The Jaguars’ persistence paid off with the first of two insurance goals when Livia Slebric scored with 4:23 left in the match after the visitors stole the ball in Laurel Highlands’ own zone.

Barron’s brace came at 2:43 of the match when she tapped the ball past Stroko, who came out to challenge, but couldn’t clear the ball and it was put into the net for a 4-1 advantage.

Doman had a shot on target from 25 yards out six minutes into the match, but Kiral made the save.