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GREENCASTLE GIRLS' SOCCER SECTIONAL: Tiger Cubs survive Mountie scare to advance to semifinals
In a match of fine margins, one moment was the difference between Greencastle and Southmont in the opening round of IHSAA Girls’ Soccer Class A Sectional No. 40 play.
It would be harsh to call it a mistake as a saved shot by Mountie keeper Makinzie Wood deflected off another player and into the back of the net but it would be the tally that separated the two squads as the Tiger Cubs began the defense of their sectional title with a 2-1 win Tuesday night.
“We had some pretty good opportunities to score despite how (Southmont) was set up,” Greencastle head coach Allison Dobbs said. “(Wood) was what kept them in the game in the first half as she played extremely well.
“There are things we’ve been working on this year that we’ve struggled with and that showed up in the first half but overall, we’ve been working on being patient with defenses and taking advantage of opportunities when they come. When they did that, they connected their passes and got the first goal.”
Greencastle tested Wood right from the start as Jacey Call forced the sophomore keeper into a save at full stretch before Southmont settled in.
The Mounties came in with a plan to let the Tiger Cubs work the ball side to side but kept the ball from reaching the box for the most part, meaning the hosts had to settle for several shots from distance that Wood was up to.
After 15 minutes the visitors got a chance to apply pressure on the Greencastle goal with a corner being skied over by Emily Link.
Ali Dobbs saw a shot slam off the post midway though the half while on the other end a chance for a break from Keaira Sanchez was snuffed out by Tiger Cub goalkeeper Izzy Camara, who cleared out ball and player with Sanchez needing brief treatment before walking off on her own power.
From the ensuing drop ball, the hosts swept up the field and took the lead.
Call was sent clear down the middle and while her shot at Wood was saved, the rebound fell to Penny Cummings who slotted into the roof of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
The lead lasted six minutes as Southmont struck back as Madisen Bensen lobbed a ball toward the hosts’ box and Emily Link was able to control it first before slotting past Camara to level the score.
The same combination nearly gave the Mounties the lead two minutes later as Bensen sent Link clear but the senior forward shot wide of goal.
“We’ve been working on adjusting our defense based on how teams play,” Dobbs said when asked about the Mountie goal. “Once they saw how (Southmont) would play, they did a good job of adjusting to it.
“There were a couple of times (Link) slipped through as they do like to play the through ball to her. We were a little messy in the midfield area as we were putting in a lot of substitutes and got a little lost.”
Greencastle had a chance to retake the lead at halftime after Eva Battin sent Dobbs through but Wood won the one-on-one battle, going low to her left for the save.
Battin started the second half hitting the wrong side of the post while Cummings met a Call cross but lacked the power to test Wood.
After a lull of chances, Greencastle retook the lead in fortuitous circumstances.
Battin stole the ball in midfield and sent Dobbs down the right with the senior’s cross not cutout by the Mountie defense.
Cummings hit her shot at Wood but the save wasn’t held and the ball ricocheted off a defender before nestling in the back of the net for a 2-1 Tiger Cub advantage.
Southmont’s best chance to level the match again came midway through the second half as Link was allowed to dance past several defenders but Camara parried her shot behind for a corner where Link was again first to the ball but headed wide of goal.
The hosts dominated possession for most of the remaining 20 minutes as the Mounties were unable to mount the attack needed to force extra time and saw their season come to an end.
With the win, Greencastle advances to Thursday’s semifinal round against North Putnam, a match played last week with the Tiger Cubs winning 4-0 over the Cougars.
“We wanted to play North Putnam in the sectional final again like we did last year,” Dobbs said about facing the Cougars again. “Though we can’t do that, it’ll still be fun to play them getting into the championship game this year.”