Bridgewater, Va- The Bridgewater women’s soccer team’s season ended in the second round of the ODAC tournament. They won in penalties against Guilford but lost to Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinals.
Eagles Win in Penalties Against the Quakers
In the opening minutes of the match, there was not much action between both teams. The first significant scoring opportunity came from the Quakers, with senior Carlee Gaboury making a big save on a shot from Olivia Santos. The Eagles countered shortly after, resulting in a corner kick. Senior Alicia Keo took a shot off of the corner kick, but it was blocked out of play, giving the Eagles another corner. A shot on target from sophomore Lyric Birkley came after the corner, with Ady Franken making a save.
Bridgewater kept up the pressure, with shots coming from senior Katelyn Seagraves, freshman Laura Narby and sophomore Kendall Garza, although none were able to score. As the first half came to an end, Seagraves and Birkley each were able to get a shot on target, but Franken was there to make a save. Keo had her own chance just after, but missed just wide of the goal.
In the 41st minute, the Quakers earned a corner. The initial ball entered the box, resulting in a shot from the Quakers, but it was cleared off the line by Garza. Grace Garraghty found the back of the net after the clearance off the line, giving Guilford a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The Eagles came out of halftime with tons of pressure. Senior Skyler Daum had a promising opportunity just over two minutes in the half hitting the post. The Eagles then dominated possession, creating many offensive chances. Birkley and Daum each had shots in the 51st minute, with Birkley’s hitting the post and Daum’s shot being blocked by the Quakers. Shots also came from Garza and Birkley from corner kicks but failed to find the goal.
In the 61st minute, Daum narrowly missed the top corner of the goal and hit the post. She had another good look chance, but Franken made a comeback with a huge save. Keo followed up with hitting the left post, missing high and having a shot saved. The final attempt led to a penalty kick after Daum was taken down inside the box. Keo stepped up, tying the score up at 1-1. The Eagles made a final push in regulation, but shots from Daum and Narby both hit the posts.
In the last minute of the game, a long throw-in gave the Eagles one last opportunity. With the shot getting past Franken, which came after the final whistle was blown, the game was sent into extra time. Both teams were unable to score, leading to a penalty shootout.
Both teams converted their opening penalty kicks, with Gaboury making a huge save on Guilford’s second attempt, which gave the Eagles the advantage. Birkley scored the fifth kick sending the eagles to the semifinals.
The Eagles Season Ends, Losing to the Marlins
In an intense semifinal matchup, the Marlins started with lots of early pressure, forcing a corner kick just under ten minutes into the game. Following a corner, the Marlins had a shot that was blocked but the Marlins had another chance that Gaboury was there to make the save. However, a turnover from the Marlins gave the Eagles a chance, but the shot was just wide of the goal.
The game’s momentum changed whenever Alexis Miller of the Marlins scored coming on a long throw-in, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Despite a couple of corner kicks, they were not able to extend their lead. Seagraves of the Eagles had a late scoring opportunity but missed wide of the goal.
The second half saw the Eagles come out with lots of offensive pressure, with Daum’s header being saved by Rachel Quigley. The Eagles threatened with a free kick in minute 55, but the shot was saved by Quigley. Throughout the second half, both teams made huge saves.
With just ten minutes left in the match, Adrianna Gunther of the Marlins found the back of the net, making the score 2-0. The Eagles pushed hard for offense after the second goal as they almost scored.
Although the Eagles had many chances, they couldn’t tie the game. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the Marlins as they advanced to the ODAC championship.
