Wood, Millbrook Girls’ Soccer Teams Can’t Find Back Of Net In Draw

Posted: April 20, 2013
By KEVIN TRUDGEON
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — In a game that many were surprised was even played, the end result left both sides feeling like they let one slip away.

Despite a torrential downpour that preceded the start and a steady drizzle for part of the first half that left most of the field waterlogged, the James Wood and Millbrook girls’ soccer teams squared off at the Colonels’ Kelican Stadium Friday evening.

Eighty minutes of regulation and ten minutes of overtime left both squads soaked, muddy and scoreless as neither team could find the back of the net in a 0-0 tie.

“At first it looked like ducks were playing,” said James Wood coach Jim Carden about the wet conditions on the field. “But our field drains pretty well and I thought it got better as it went along. Under the circumstances I thought it was a great game.”

The circumstances included an early start time in order to take advantage of a break in the rain that postponed the boys’ soccer, baseball and softball games between the two district rivals.

It ended up paying off as the weather held up for most the game, but it took awhile for both teams to figure out how best to attack the slick field.

Millbrook (7-3-1, 2-0-1 Northwestern) came into the game riding a four-game winning streak, while James Wood (2-6-1, 0-1-1) had dropped its last two.

But with the ball skipping along the wet grass, both sides were equally frustrated for much of the first half as neither could connect on passes through the middle or down the sides.

Pioneer senior Brooke Borlie created the first quality chance of the game 12 minutes in when she managed to spin off her defender near the top of the box and let loose a shot.

But in a play that would become a trend through the game, Borlie couldn’t get a solid foot on the ball, instead sending a floating shot that sailed just over the goal.

“It was difficult to play in, but there’s ways around that and we didn’t do it, it was sloppy,” said Millbrook coach Carter Smith.

Borlie would miss wide right 15 minutes later and teammate Devan Davis’ shot from 40 yards out would strike the crossbar, but the best chance of the first half belonged to the Colonels.

With less than a minute to go before halftime, James Wood freshman Emily Denton somehow managed to hold off three Millbrook defenders on a run down the center of the field and drop off a perfect pass to a wide-open Adrianne Salvatore just to the right of the goal.

With nobody between her and Pioneer goalkeeper Caitlin Schrader, Salvatore looked like she might score the first goal of the game, but like Borlie, she failed to make solid contact, instead sending the ball well right of the goal.

“We had some opportunities, but so did they, we just couldn’t put one in,” Carden said.

The second half saw play pick up, with both sides pressing the action as they became more comfortable on the wet field, but the defenses held.

As good as the back line of Taylor Hicks, Kortney Teike, Alysse Hamm and Brittany Smoot were for the Pioneers in limiting Denton’s chances in the open field, the Colonels’ defense was just as formidable.

Emma Watts, Charlotte Kirks, Adrienne Thomas and Makayla Gloyd managed to keep Borlie and the potent Millbrook attack in check, and goalkeeper Emily Woods-Hulse made a big diving save in the first overtime to preserve the tie.

“We played good defense. Any time you can keep Brooke from scoring, and Millbrook for that matter, that’s a good game,” Carden said.

The Colonels had a golden opportunity to pull out the win late in regulation when sophomore Alex Stanford found junior Marissa Maddalena open in front of the goal, but Maddalena’s shot sailed high.

James Wood wouldn’t get another opportunity and Millbrook’s best chance came in overtime when Woods-Hulse dove right to stop a Borlie shot, leaving both sides wondering what might have been.

“That’s what happens when you’re playing a team that plays hard and plays with a lot of passion and you don’t put them away,” said Smith, whose team out-shot the Colonels 18-13 in the game. “You’re not going to get the result like that.

“And I thought that was a testament to [James Wood’s] play and their resilience. We missed some chances but they missed there’s too. Maybe we learn a little bit of a lesson and we’ll put them away from now on.”

— Contact Kevin Trudgeon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on Twitter @WinStarSports1