Didi Ryan makes history in Warren JFK’s dominant win vs. Ursuline
Trending
WARREN -- Entering Thursday's home match against Ursuline, Didi Ryan knew she was on the cusp of making school history.
She tried not to think about it, but it was hard for the Warren JFK senior to ignore the circumstances. Once the match kicked off, though, she was off to the races.
Ryan scored two goals in the first six minutes, finishing with a hat trick as she broke the Eagles' all-time career goal-scoring record in JFK's 9-0 win over the Fighting Irish.
"It meant a lot to me, especially because I missed my junior season for my ACL," Ryan said of setting the record. "It was one of my goals, just going into high school in general, to be able to get that record. And I'm just grateful that I was able to do it in the time I've been able to play. I didn't get all four years, so I'm really grateful that I was able to get it done in three years."
Ryan broke Caitlyn Condoleon's previous record of 115 goals, which was set back in 2019. It was a full-circle moment for JFK head coach Kayla Zoccole, who also coached Condoleon when she was part of the Eagles' program.
"She brings an energy that I haven't seen in a very long time, or got to coach in a really long time," Zoccole said of Ryan. "She cares about every single play; she cares about every single offensive and defensive play, which is good and bad in ways. But she has always brought an intensity to our team and this program that nobody else can.
"When she's locked in and she's turned on, she will score goals for us. She'll win the ball back for us, and she'll make anything happen with her intensity and the team on her back."
Despite scoring more than 90 goals in her freshman and sophomore seasons, there was a time when it looked uncertain whether Ryan might break the record.
During her sophomore basketball season, she tore her ACL, which caused her to also miss most of her junior soccer season last year. However, Ryan worked hard to rehab and recover, and now she's back to full strength on the field.
"It was really hard for me because sports are basically my whole life," Ryan said. "Getting that kind of injury, you think, 'Oh, I hope that never happens to me,' and then it happens to you. I needed to take a step back and kind of center myself and who I am as a person. So I think that was super important for me, and it actually made me grow as an athlete."
Against the Irish, Ryan wasted no time scoring her first goal, finding the back of the net in the second minute on a one-on-one breakaway through the middle of Ursuline's back line.
Maylee Nadaud made it 2-0 for the Eagles less than 30 seconds later with her first goal of the evening. Ryan then set the record in the sixth minute with her second goal on another breakaway.
"We talk all the time about showing up to games as ourselves, making sure that the opponent doesn't necessarily matter," Zoccole said. "We constantly know who we are, and our own expectations. We show up to every game ready to go and ready to play. [Ryan] obviously had [the record] in the back of her head, and it was important to us, but it wasn't at the forefront of anything.
"The team's success is always at the forefront. She locked in, and her ability to score when it matters speaks for itself. So she knew what she needed to do to achieve said goal, and it's a pretty simple conversation there, especially with players as intense and as strong as her. She knows the expectation, and she made it happen."
With just over eight minutes left in the half, Emily Sweeney added JFK's fourth goal to make it 4-0, scoring on a lobbed shot over the keeper and under the crossbar from the right side.
Just before halftime, Laney Condoleon scored the Eagles' fifth goal with a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.
JFK added four more goals in the second half. Nadaud's second came off an assist from Sophia Tilley in the 54th minute, and Nadaud finished off a hat trick of her own with a screamer from about 35 yards out in the 60th minute.
Giuliana Vennitti made it 8-0 with a penalty kick goal in the 65th minute after an Ursuline foul on the edge of the box. Ryan then finished off the scoring by completing her hat trick three minutes later.
Now 0-11, Ursuline will look to get its first win of the season at home on Monday against West Branch, while JFK (4-3) will visit Mineral Ridge on Saturday.