The Kennedy and Washington defenses were seemingly impenetrable. Through 20 minutes of a girls soccer game between the Cougars and the Warriors, it was scoreless, and the teams combined for only five shots on goal.

There were few signs of offense.

That was until Kennedy’s Kaela Dickerman got her feet on the ball. Dickerman booted a goal with five minutes left in the first half, helping No. 8 Kennedy defeat Washington 2-0 Thursday night at Kingston Stadium.

Holes in the defense were not abundant with these two teams. But Dickerman found one and took advantage.

“Tory Harman did some great work winning the ball and once Kaela had the ball, it was all her,” said Kennedy Coach Andrew McKnight. “She held off the defender, spun, and finished. So everything was good about that goal.”

With Dickerman finding the back of the net, the flow of the game shifted to Kennedy’s favor. For the rest of the first half into the second, the Cougars played for control. In a battle of defenses, even the slimmest leads provide some comfort.

“Possession of the ball is really important in games like this,” said McKnight.  “We practice possession a lot, so when there is a bit of pressure on us like when we have the lead, we can cope well like we did tonight.”

Kennedy’s control of possession and stingy defense stifled the Warrior attack for most of the game. And with 10 minutes left in the game, it was desperation time.

“I think they were a bit tentative because of the attacking threat that we have, so I didn’t think they put as much pressure as they could have,” said McKnight.

Washington went on full attack, but it was Kennedy that prevailed with another goal.

With only 14 seconds left in the game, Tory Harman nudged the ball past the keeper after a scrum, making the final score 2-0.

“Kennedy and Washington games are quite a rivalry, and to come here as a first-year head coach and have the girls play that way, I am pretty happy," McKnight said.

Kennedy is 10-3 overall, 9-3 in the MVC. Washington is 9-6, 7-5.

KENNEDY 2, WASHINGTON 0

Goals: CRK -- Kaela Dickerman, Tory Harman. Assists: CRK -- Harman.