|
In their first playoff game of the
2007 campaign, the Lady Dolphins
took control of the game early as
Brittany Willis directed the first
goal over the keeper and between
the posts from about 35 yards
away, helping suppress what Head
Coach Mark Szabo described as
“pregame jitters.”
“I know a lot of our players were
nervous. They were unsure of what
to expect since we hadn’t played
Tacoma before,” said Szabo. “It
was nice to get that first goal.”
The early goal would later prove
to be all the ladies would need as
SCC controlled both the momentum
and the field from late in the
first half on. Holding the ball in
their attacking half for the majority
of the contest, SCC found itself
with plenty of opportunities to
build on their lead but weren’t able
to capitalize.
“I think we should have put it
away some point early in the second
half,” said Szabo.
“We created quite a few chances,
but didn’t score on all of them. To
Tacoma’s credit, they were pressuring
us and working very hard.”
Meanwhile, the defense for the
women remained more than stellar
throughout the game as superb play
from SCC’s back line gave Tacoma
little opportunity to test keeper
Sarah Hartsell. Apart from a few
attacks off corners and a few errant
crosses that found themselves
goal-bound, Hartsell found herself
dealing mostly with slow rollers as
Tacoma rarely put a shot on goal.
With the score stuck at 1-0, Tacoma’s
desperation for an equalizer
began to grow and Tacoma soon
found themselves playing a more
aggressive, attacking style of soccer,
creating holes in their defense
and opportunities for SCC.
After a series of attacks from
SCC ended either wide of the goal
or off the keeper, Lacey Thompson
lobbed a shot reminiscent of
Willis’s first half goal, finding the
back of the net in the 88th minute
and pushing the score to 2-0, where
it would remain until the final whistle.
Szabo found himself impressed
with his team’s performance and
resilience throughout the contest.
“(Tacoma), to their credit, fought
very, very, very hard and every time
they did, it seemed like we stepped
right back up and answered those
challenges,” said Szabo.
“I was very happy to see the girls
not back down, not give in, and not
give the other team any real opportunities
the whole game.”
The next match for the Lady
Dolphins will be their semifinal
showdown against NWAACC
South Champions Clackamas, a
team that finished league play with
no losses and one draw. The match
will be at 9 a.m. on November 17 at
the Starfire Stadium in Tukwila.
| 
)