Pressure - continuous physical force exerted on or against an object.

Jim Thorpe’s offensive pressure on Tuesday in a Schuylkill League Division 1 soccer match against Lehighton served as the catalyst to the Olympians 3-0 victory over the Indians.

Thorpe (6-0) kept the ball on its side of the pitch for almost the entirety of the night, consistently getting good looks at the net.

“We have a real strong midfield, so we have the ability to possess the ball and control the game, and we were able to do that tonight. I thought we controlled the game, but credit to Lehighton, they packed it in against us and made it harder for us to get shots off,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Tom Condly. “But we controlled the ball for the most part, and our defense played really well again. Our defense has been dominant. We have a lot of speed back there, and no one has really put together a run or penetrated through yet. We pride ourselves on a defense-first mentality.”

Thorpe’s Aurora VanAuken was a big part of the Olympians’ constant pressure as she helped them get out to a 2-0 lead. VanAuken’s first score of the game came at the 31:55 mark in the first half on a beautiful header off a corner kick from Alexis Marotto. Then early in the second half (34:42), a Nicole Carroll pass found VanAuken deep in the Indians’ zone as VanAuken found the back of the net to put some distance between Thorpe and the Tribe.

“There was a lot of opportunities out there for us offensively, and on my two goals, my teammates just gave me great passes. Alexis was on point with her corners all game long, and Nicole found me a few times with some great passes as well,” said VanAuken. “I just think we are really starting to come together as a team, and our subbing has been really good too. It’s an exciting start for us.”

Just a few minutes later in the second, a Sarah Hartman score off a pass from Lauren LeKites capped off the shut out victory.

BEST START … Thorpe’s 6-0 start is the best on record at Jim Thorpe, and the Olympians are also 4-0 in Schuylkill League play.

DOMINANT D … The Olympians defense has been dominant this season. Thorpe has allowed just one goal in six games, outscoring its opponents 41-1.

IN THE ZONE … Thorpe kept the ball in the Lehighton zone all match long, with nine corners and eight shots on goal. Lehighton had just three shots on goal, and zero corners. Olivia Rosenberger had three save for the Olympians.