GIRLS SOCCER Bowlen's five goals lead Fitch to 5-1 win

She did all her scoring in the first half against Canfield in a district semifinal.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANFIELD -- Scoring three goals in a soccer match is called a hat trick.
Austintown Fitch High sophomore Jodi Bowlen got the hat, the coat and a scarf for good measure Wednesday, scoring five times in the first half in the Falcons' 5-1 win over Canfield in a girls Division I district soccer semifinal.
North Canton Hoover beat Howland 2-1 and will play at Fitch Saturday at 7 p.m. for the district championship.
The Falcons (12-4-2) tied Hoover 0-0 during the season.
"She's remarkable," said Fitch coach Carlo Trafficante of Bowlen. "She was determined. All day in school she was psyched up for this game -- and she was focused."
Bowlen was tied with senior Kelly Croysdale for the team scoring lead, each with 15 goals.
Her scoring sequence
With the game just 14 minutes old senior Danielle Storey perfectly placed a corner kick where Bowlen dove to head it in from point blank range.
Less than a minute later Dina Harris found Bowlen loose in the box. Her 8-yard blast made it 2-0.
The Canfield goalie then blocked a long shot by Kayla Brace and Bowlen was unchecked in the box. Her 10-yard shot of the rebound made it 3-0 with 16 minutes remaining in the half.
A short time later Bowlen dribbled through the Canfield defense and, after the goalie dove, an easy score resulted.
Croysdale got her seventh assist on the year when Bowlen wrapped up a career night with her fifth goal at 3:55.
"I didn't really care who scored, I just wanted to beat them," said Bowlen. "This might be the last chance for us to win the district and I know the seniors really wanted it."
A first for Fitch
Canfield knocked Fitch out of the tournament in 2002. The game was the first district semifinal win in Fitch history.
Croysdale was all over the field, leading the attack early, steering the midfield later and was a pillar of defense late in the match.
She said she didn't care that a sophomore leaped ahead of her for scoring honors.
"She deserved it; she worked hard on this game," Croysdale said. "It's not about how many you have, it's about the quality and how the team plays."
Canfield (6-8-5) attacked better in the second half and got on the board with 25 minutes remaining when sophomore Nicole Sorice scored on a direct kick from 30 yards. It was her third goal of the season.
sullivan@vindy.com