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The St. Joseph’s Academy girls soccer coach simply could not keep her players from a picture-taking celebration on Wednesday afternoon.

The Angels scored three unanswered second-half goals to knock off previously unbeaten Cor Jesu 4-3 in a high-powered GISL contest in southern Affton.

“It’s just one game, no pictures,� said the veteran McVey, who is stepping down after this season.

The girls would not listen as they posed for a group photo after the program’s biggest win in at least two seasons.

Yes, the Angels were that happy.

“This might not be a big deal to other people, but it is to us,� St. Joseph’s senior midfielder Maggie Gawrych said.

Added sophomore Ellie Hannis, “I can’t tell you how great this feels.�

The Angels (7-2-1 overall, 2-0 GISL) extracted a measure of revenge in knocking off the defending Class 3 state champion Chargers (7-1, 2-1), who had a 19-match, 365-day winning streak snapped.

Cor Jesu ended St. Joseph’s previously unbeaten campaign last season with an upset in the district tournament. It also beat the Angels 2-1 in a Champions League semifinal on April 12.

McVey stuck to her “this is only one win� narrative.

But her pride was obvious after the players shook the monkey off their backs.

“Our kids played out of their heads,� McVey said. “They showed a lot of character.�

Gawrych scored twice in a 21-minute span in the second half to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 lead. She one-timed a loose ball from inside the box to tie the match just 109 seconds into the half.

The Belmont University signee then gave her team the lead for good with a left-footed rocket that sailed just inside the far post in the 63rd minute.

“It means so much because they took it from us last year,� Gawrych said. “Playing them is fun, it’s exciting. Like a little rivalry.�

Gawrych tallied her second and third goals of the season at the perfect time.

Hannis followed Gawrych’s second tally 67 seconds later for a 4-2 cushion.

“We were so fired up,� Hannis said. “And to do this on their home field, that secured something really big for us.�

The Angels came out with a point to prove although it might not have looked like it in the early going.

Senior Vita Lorms scored for Cor Jesu off a nifty pass from super sophomore Maddie DiMaria after 76 seconds.

St. Joseph’s responded by putting its foot down with three successive scoring chances from Caroline Chier and Olivia Kaiser. Chier, who is bound for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ University, eventually tied the match with a left-footed drive from the top of the box in the 11th minute.

DiMaria gave the Chargers the lead on a penalty kick in the 26th minute. They carried that advantage into the second 40 minutes before the Angels erupted for a three-goal blitz in 22:05.

“Even after they got down a couple times, it didn’t faze them,� McVey said. “They turned around and went back to work.�

St. Joseph’s junior goalkeeper Ella Moersch and Cor Jesu senior netminder Isabelle Hochmuth matched each other save for save a battle of high-octane offenses.

“This was just a great match,� Gawrych said. “We all know each other, play together (on club teams). That’s what makes beating them so fun.�

Cor Jesu has been moved up to Class 4 this season due to the MHSHAA success factor. St. Joseph’s remains in Class 3. Both sides displayed state championship form in front of the large gathering.

“I think they just wanted it more than us today,� DiMaria said.

DiMaria had spent the previous week in Spain playing in a pair of friendlies for the U.S. Under-16 national team. She arrived back at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Rather than take a day off to deal with jet lag and fatigue, DiMaria was at school Wednesday morning and on the pitch for the 4 p.m. kickoff.

“A little tired, but this was one I wasn’t going to miss,� DiMaria said.

The Chargers might want to consider taking April 23 off in the future. Their previous loss prior to Wednesday was a 2-1 setback to Timberland on April 23, 2024.