Bulldogs head to final
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STILLWATER -- Holy Names scored four minutes into Tuesday's game. In sectionals, that can be a disaster.
But South Glens Falls has had a knack for getting the job done this year, so that goal only became a motivator.
The Bulldogs turned on the jets and scored a 3-1 victory over Holy Names in a Class A semifinal of the Section II Girls Soccer Tournament at Stillwater. The Bulldogs earned a return trip to Stillwater on Friday for the championship game against No. 1 seed Burnt Hills.
Samantha Blizzard scored two key goals as the Bulldogs improved to 16-1-1. They held an opponent to one goal or fewer for the 17th time in 18 games.
But the defense had a bad moment 3:54 into the game, when Shelby Wood scored for Holy Names. South High, a team that's played with the lead for much of the year, was suddenly in come-from-behind mode.
"It scared me, definitely,'' defender Katelyn Baker said. "I think it was good for us, though, because we couldn't get really cocky. A lot of games, we haven't played from behind, so it was good that we came back."
The Bulldogs responded quickly, and took the play to Holy Names.
"I wasn't too concerned," South High coach Stephen Philo said. "After the first 10 minutes, we were dominating - throw-ins, corner kicks, possession - I knew it was a matter of time."
South High broke through in the final moments of the first half, and it came after back-to-back Ashley Abrams flip-throws. The second one came to Blizzard, who booted it home to tie the game at 1-1.
"That goal in the final 30 seconds of the first half was a huge momentum lift for us, and a back-breaker for them," Philo said.
South High almost scored on a corner kick six minutes into the second half. A couple of minutes later, they got the go-ahead goal on a play at left side of the goal. Blizzard was one-on-one with a defender, but managed to get off a strong shot.
The Bulldogs added a third goal with 12 minutes left. Ali LaRue got the ball outside the box, slipped between defenders and beat the goalie on a breakaway.
The Bulldogs have had games when they've scored a lot of goals this year, but this kind of offensive effort during sectional semifinals was different.
"This was a coming-out party of sorts for us in a sectional game," Philo said. "Three goals against a quality opponent. We were very happy with the output. A couple more breaks and we would have had a couple more. Once we were able to pierce them the first time, we felt confident we'd be able to continue in the second half."
After Holy Names' first goal, the Bulldogs' defense picked up the pace, rarely allowing a serious foray into the box. Ali Smith backed them up with six saves in goal.
Holy Names 1 0 - 1Goals-Assists
South High (16-1-1) 1 2 - 3
Holy Names - Wood 1-0.
South High - Blizzard 2-0, LaRue 1-0, Abrams 0-1, Hutchins 0-1, K. Fish 0-1.
Shots - South High, 23-9. Corner kicks - South High, 7-4. Goalies-saves - Smith (SGF) 6; Sawicki (HN) 14.
Posted in Sports, Soccer on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 12:30 am Updated: 9:20 am. | Tags: Girls Soccer, South High, Holy Names
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