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Poland controls pace to advance
By Steve Wilaj
POLAND
Following the Division II girls soccer district semifinal between Poland and Lakeview, Bulldogs coach John Cavalier described the game as a “seesaw battle.”
It was exactly that, though Poland’s side of the seesaw eventually proved to be a bit heavier.
The Bulldogs defeated Lakeview 4-2 Monday night at Dave Pavlansky Field to advance to the Division II district final on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“Lakeview and us, it’s a good rivalry,” Cavalier said. “It’s always a tight game with us ... and it was back and forth for a while.”
Scoreless until 8:50 left in the first half, Poland (13-5) got on the board when Carolyn Balzano found the back of the net. However, Lakeview (13-3-2) answered immediately on a goal by Alison Pavlik to tie the game, 1-1, at the 6:13 mark.
To finish the action-packed final minutes of the first half, a goal from Poland’s Marissa Trevis regained the lead for the Bulldogs heading into halftime.
“One of the talking points at halftime was that we can’t get into a defensive shell,” Lakeview coach Shawn Varley said. “If you get into a defensive shell and they start taking deep shots, what’s gonna happen is what happened.”
Lakeview made the action happen to start the second half, tying the game at two when Abby Pavlik found the back of the net at the 30:53 mark.
But from then on, the seesaw began to tilt to Poland’s side.
Both coaches agreed Poland’s ability to control the pace went a long way in deciding the outcome.
“We started to possess the ball better, made some passes, and made them run after us,” Cavalier said. “It cleared the middle of the field up for us and we made things happen.”
With 25:58 left, Poland’s Anna Barnhart put the Bulldogs ahead, 3-2.
Then, just over 10 minutes later, Trevis’ second goal secured the Poland win.
“When Poland’s controlling the ball and passing it around us, we tire ourselves out,” Varley said. “If we rely on a complete through-ball game and limit the possession time that we have, you wear yourself out.”
While Varley was obviously disappointed with the loss, he made sure not to look past his team’s successful season.
“It’s been a really good year,” Varley said. “We lose some veterans on this team, but hopefully next year those younger players will take their spots and we’ll continue to improve.”
Poland now sets its sights on Canfield, which they will meet for the third time this season.
“Going into this tournament, we were really hyped-up and ready to play,” Cavalier said. “We are really playing well right now.”
Still, Cavalier knows the Bulldogs face a tough test against the Cardinals, who beat Poland in the season’s previous two meetings.
“They’re a very good team and a very well-coached team,” he said. “Probably our biggest rival. It’s gonna be a good game and we’re gonna come ready to play.”