QUEENSBURY -- Glens Falls field hockey coach Michele Venditto acknowledges that her players "are all gatherers."
But down 2-1 in a sectional semifinal Tuesday, she was looking for hunters.
On a team with just three seniors, few have been asked to play that role before. But the Indians found leaders when it counted and overcame the deficit to win the Class B semifinal, 3-2, over Ichabod Crane at Morse Athletic Complex.
Second-seeded Glens Falls (13-4) will play top-seeded Johnstown in the championship at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Shenendehowa High School. It is the sixth consecutive season Glens Falls has made the Class B final and the 12th time in the last 13 seasons.
Third-seeded Ichabod Crane (9-8) gave Glens Falls all it could handle, especially in the first half, when the Riders overcame an early Glens Falls goal to lead 2-1 at halftime and through the first 15 minutes of the second half.
With 19:08 left in the game, I.C. called a timeout to shore up its defense, while Venditto used it to appeal to her players' emotions.
"I basically challenged their heart and passion - this was not our best effort," Venditto said. "I told them, 'You're really cheating yourselves by not giving 100 percent.' "
A little more than four minutes later, freshman Shauna Rankin-Byrne made just the kind of play Venditto wanted. She got the ball near midfield, carried it in through two defenders and scored an unassisted goal with 14:53 left to tie the game at 2.
"The goalie wasn't quite over to her post, so I shot it to the post," Rankin-Byrne said of her fifth goal of the season. "I think we weren't playing to our level, and once we got down, we got back to playing our best."
Glens Falls added the insurance goal just two minutes later, as Kate Gillespie took an indirect hit and threaded a pass to Kasey Sullivan, who turned and poked it past Erin Wadsworth (seven saves).
"Sometimes you need that player who just steps up and takes charge," said Venditto, who also mentioned the fine second-half play of Baileigh Padasak and Jade Davis against the Riders.
Though Glens Falls scored first, I.C. had gotten the Indians' attention earlier when Rebecca Smith's shot forced Brittany Daniels to make a diving save.
Rankin-Byrne figured in Glens Falls' first goal, also. She beat her player to the ball, carried it in and bypassed a shot to take the ball almost even with the goal mouth. She then sent it across to a waiting Kiley Sullivan, who tapped it in.
The Riders tied it with 7:01 left in the first half when Olivia Clemente tapped one in from close range. They went ahead with 2:18 left when Teresa Sanacore, unmarked on the far post, poked in a rebounded shot off Daniels' pads.
"We played well," Ichabod Crane coach Debbie Smith said. "We knew (Glens Falls was) going to come out strong in the second half. They're quick coming back and they come back four at a time.
"We knew Glens Falls was a little down from what they've been the last couple of years," Smith added, "but they still get a lot of good athletes coming out for field hockey. I'm really happy with my girls."
Ichabod Crane (9-8) 2 0 - 2
Glens Falls (13-4) 1 2 - 3
Goals-Assists
Ichabod Crane - Clemente 1-0, Sanacore 1-0.
Glens Falls - Ki.Sullivan 1-0, Rankin-Byrne 1-1, Ka.Sullivan 1-0, Gillespie 0-1.
Shots - Glens Falls, 16-10. Penalty corners - Glens Falls, 9-8. Goalies-saves - Wadsworth (IC) 7; Daniels (GF) 6.
Posted in Field_hockey on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 10:35 pm
© Copyright 2009, The Post-Star, Lawrence & Cooper Streets Glens Falls, NY | Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
