Colonels, Pioneers Girls’ Soccer Match Goals In 2-2 Tie

Posted: May 13, 2014
By JERRY HOLSWORTH
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — The James Wood and Millbrook girls’ soccer teams squared off Monday in a game that was everything a fight for a Northwestern District regular season title should be.

“This was just a fantastic game, particularly for those in the stands,” said Colonel coach Jim Carden. “We thought that we had the game twice, and they came back. That’s what a champion does and Millbrook’s been like that for a long time. We knew that it would be this tough though.”

Both teams played with an almost fanatical determination, had their share of near misses and both refused to quit even when faced with adversity.

“This was exactly the kind of game I love to play in,” said Pioneers midfielder Alysse Hamm. “Both teams were being really aggressive and it was a game that we were ready to fight for. After they beat us at home we were determined not to lose this time.”

In the end it was the Colonels (7-3-4, 4-1-2 Northwestern District) who prevailed just by surviving in a 2-2 tie that wasn’t decided until the final minute of the second overtime at Kelican Stadium Monday.

With only one game left in district play for James Wood, the Colonels control their own destiny in the fight for the regular season title.

“This was a really tough game,” said Millbrook coach Matt Cottino. “This was our third time to see them and we knew what to expect. We came to play and I thought that we played very well. We had our opportunities, but their goalkeeper was able to make three incredible saves. That’s soccer though. I’m really proud of our girls.”

It was a battle from the first whistle with both teams dominating play in the first half. Wood’s back line of Adrienne Thomas, Meghan Hammond, Makayla Gloyd and Abby Lanham kept the Pioneers (8-2-4, 3-1-3) from seriously threatening the Colonel goal through most of the first half.

“They were winning the ball in the air a lot,” said Millbrook forward Holly Elko. “They seemed to be the first one to the ball and it was very frustrating to us. We really didn’t have any shots on goal until the end of the half.”

Wood’s problem, though, was that the Pioneer back line of Nastasha Justice, Brooke Goodwin, Taylor Hicks and Brittany Smoot were equally resolute in keeping Wood’s offensive weapons away from Millbrook’s goal.

“Both teams were really aggressive,” said Pioneer goalkeeper Caitlin Schrader. “Both teams really wanted this one.”

Twice during the first half Millbrook came close to scoring, but in both cases Colonel goalkeeper Charlie Woods-Hulse made brilliant saves to keep the game scoreless.

With 16 minutes left in the first half, Woods-Hulse came out of the goal and blocked a shot at the feet of Millbrook forward Lauren Reed. With only 5:30 left in the half, the Wood junior made another spectacular saves at the feet of Reed from less than three yards from the Colonel goal.

“They got past our defenders and I knew I had to come out because it was just me,” Woods-Hulse said. “I really don’t like to do that, but it’s my job as goalkeeper.”

After an intense first half, Wood took very little time establishing dominance in the second half. Just three minutes into the half Colonel forward Emily Denton found Brianna Heustis open at right wing and passed her the ball. Heustis lofted a shot from 25 yards out that sailed over the head of Schrader for the first goal of the game to make it 1-0.

With the Colonels holding the lead, Wood began a relentless attack on the Millbrook goal.

The Colonels outshot Millbrook 8-3 in the second half and forced Schrader to make four difficult saves to keep her Pioneers within one goal of the surging Colonels.

The Pioneers’ opportunity came with 17:30 left in the game when Casey Ackerman broke loose behind the Colonel defense 40 yards from Wood’s goal.

Ackerman headed straight for Woods-Hulse, but the Wood goalkeeper again came out of her net, blocked Ackerman’s shot from less than five yards out, then leapt and smothered the ball before Ackerman could get a shot off the ricochet.

With the Colonels in the driver’s seat after Woods-Hulse’s amazing save, it looked as though Wood would hold on for a hard-fought victory.

The Pioneers, however, had other plans and with 11:26 left the game Elko smashed shot from 30 yards out to tie the game 1-1 and send it into overtime.

Midway through the first overtime Alex Stanford launched a cross to Denton, who volleyed it home from 18 yards out to put Wood back on top 2-1.

“I saw Emily in the middle and I knew that if I could get her the ball she’d finish it,” Stanford said. ”Sure enough she did.”

With just 1:28 left in the second overtime, though, Millbrook found a way to strike again. Justice crossed the ball into the goal mouth and Elko shot it past Woods-Hulse from five yards out to finish the scoring for the night, leaving the game tied 2-2.

“That felt great,” Elko said. “I wish that we could have got another one, but there wasn’t much time left.”