Crestview tops Ursuline in sectional final

October 16, 2014 at 12:09a.m.

Rebels’ first-half flurry

too much for the Irish

NEW WATERFORD

The most successful season in the seven-year existence of the Crestview girls soccer program will continue for at least five more days.

The Rebels sacked the Ursuline Irish, 3-1, Wednesday in a Division III sectional final at the Zachary Garwood Soccer Complex.

Crestview (12-3-2) dominated the pace of play from the outset, earned three first-half goals and repelled the Irish for most of the afternoon.

“This is very exciting for us,” said Crestview coach Linda Garwood, who has been with the program from its inception. “It took us seven years to get here. This is such a huge year: most wins, [shared Inter Tri-County League title].

“We’ve gotten to the district round now twice, but we’re hoping this is our year.”

Coach Roy Schmidt’s youthful Irish squad — limited by injuries — made things interesting with a second-half goal, but Schmidt, who also coaches the Irish boys team, saw a great advantage prevail throughout.

“They took advantage of anywhere we were weak,” he said. “They were a lot bigger than we were. They’re older and they’re bigger.”

With the first half halfway gone, the Rebels — led by speedy forwards Tristan Huff, Kassity Miller and Jillian Beard — began to break through the Irish defense.

Huff netted Crestview’s first goal at the 19:00 mark off a free kick.

Five minutes later, the Irish nearly responded when standout forward Angela Bowell — the team’s lone senior — fired a left-footed shot that hooked right of goal. With 10:15 to go, a Bowell-Jennifer Woodford-Erica Lehn sequence narrowly missed another opportunity.

Crestview quickly countered. With possession in the Irish end of the field, Miller distributed a pass backward for Beard, who floated a shot over the head of Urusline goalkeeper Jordyn Kenneally for a 2-0 lead. Kenneally had left her goal line to contest a cross into the 18-yard box moments earlier.

With 5:46 left in the half, Kenneally dove for an errant oncoming pass out of the Crestview midfield. When she rolled over the ball squirted free, where Miller calmly gained possession and touched an uncontested shot into the net.

With the lead comfortably in hand, the Rebels maintained possession for much of the game.

“Our midfield is pretty good at getting it up to our forwards,” said Lexi Jayne, who anchors the middle of the Rebels’ defense. “We have good passing when we’re on and we can tell we’re a solid team.”

The Rebels’ defense was not to be out-done. Jayne, Gina Addicott, Leah Cox and Morgan Nery all collapsed on Bowell and her teammates when threatened.

“My defensive backline has RADAR,” Garwood said.

Lehn and Woodford had runs at goal midway through the second half, but Dana Drinnon (four second-half saves) was there to stop them.

The relentless Bowell finally got Ursuline (8-5-3) on the scoreboard with 9:42 left, but the outcome was practically decided.

“This is just the first step,” Garwood said. “They said before the season that they wanted to get past that second game and into the district final.

“We’ve set up goals and we adjusted halfway through the season. We had to adjust because we were going through more goals than we had thought.”

Any more will have to be earned Monday against rival and ITCL co-champion South Range or United.