St. Aloysius defended well, generated scoring chances, and had outstanding goal keeping, which are all of the ingredients needed to win a soccer game.

Well, all except one — a goal of its own.

Anna Riley Kelly arced in a shot from the right corner in the 60th minute for the game’s only goal, and Manchester Academy beat St. Al 1-0 Monday at Farrell Stadium/Balzli Field.

“I told the girls, when you have those moments in the box or inside the 18, you’ve got to be able to finish those. Especially if you know you’re going from 18 shots in one game to maybe five shots in one game, you’ve got to make them count when you do get that opportunity,” St. Al coach Gio Baldizon said.

St. Al controlled the majority of the action, but couldn’t punch through the final layer of the defense often enough to turn pressure into more than a few scattered scoring chances.

Manchester gradually took the momentum in the second half and started peppering St. Al keeper Sara Smith with shots. The eighth-grader was up to the task, making nine saves, but had little chance against the decisive one from Kelly.

Angel Rae Carpenter played a ball ahead to Kelly, who dribbled into the right corner. Kelly then launched a shot back across the field, over Smith’s head and into the left side of the net for a 1-0 lead that stood up as the final score.

St. Al had a couple of chances down the stretch, including a corner kick in the final minute, but no quality shots.

“That player wasn’t marked, they were able to build on that, they got it into their best player, and she played it right into the back of the net,” Baldizon said. “That’s why she was their best player. They were feeding her the ball the most.”

Although the Lady Flashes (2-2-1) lost, Baldizon said he was encouraged by how they played. Manchester beat St. Al 3-0 last week in Yazoo City, so a much more competitive game this time was a welcome sight. He’s hoping they can carry the positives into Tuesday’s home game against Adams County Christian School.

St. Al and ACCS play at 5 p.m. at Farrell Stadium/Balzli Field.

“Our girls really dug hard and played hard,” Baldizon said. “We’ve got a young team. This is a good experience for them. To us, it was good.”