|
Lady Broncos stomp Scorpions |
|
|
Monday, 21 January 2008 |
 Bishop’s Amanda McCartney squeezes a shot between the near post and the Desert goal keeper for a score on Tuesday. The ball is visible sneaking past the post. Photo by Keith Rainville By Keith Rainville
Sports Editor 1-19-2008
The Lady Broncos soccer team beat Desert on Tuesday, 7-1. Bishop was able to generate good goal-scoring opportunities with excellent ball movement and could have won by many more goals but for the excellent Desert goalkeeper who made countless saves.
With the win, the Lady Broncos improved to 5-2 at the halfway point on league play. Bishop faces both teams they lost to, Desert Christian and Frazier Mountain, at home in the second half of league play.
Bishop scored its first goal about four minutes into the game when senior forward Angela Borin won a ball on the right side of the field and drove down the endline towards the Desert goal, drawing defenders and the goalkeeper towards her. She slotted a nice pass into the center of the box where Mikaela Griffiths was waiting to hammer the ball into the top of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Bishop’s next goal was one of its prettiest of the season. The build started when Griffiths won a ball inside the Desert half and passed wide to the right side. Kaleigh McClinton looked for an opening on the sideline but then dropped a pass back to a wide-open Amanda McCartney. McCartney made a high, soft cross back into the middle of the 18-yard box and Griffiths headed home the pass to the opposite post.
The Lady Scorpions are much improved over previous seasons and had several players with skill and strength. Desert sent a long pass forward and a loose ball wasn’t cleared by the Lady Broncos. A Desert forward ran onto the loose ball and drove a low shot past Alyssa Cammarata for a goal, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Not to fear, though. The Lady Broncos offense continued to pound away at goal, eventually finding holes in the Desert keeper’s defense.
Borin had a head ball hit the top post midway through the half, and then Cammarata made a nice save on a high shot after a Desert corner kick. McCartney got the offense in gear again when she attacked down the left side of the field, drove the endline and squeaked a shot between the keeper and the near post from a very acute angle. The goal put the momentum squarely back in Bishop’s corner, where it stayed for the remainder of the game.
In the second half, the flood gates opened. Griffiths helped Bishop get off to a fast start, bending a corner kick on goal from the far side of the field that the Desert keeper was forced to make a leaping deflection on. Fortunately for the Lady Broncos, McClinton was waiting for the deflection and hammered home the rebound for a 4-1 lead.
A nice drive down the near side of the field by Amanda Fix created the next scoring opportunity. Fix took on a pair of defenders and cut back and forth to create space for a cross into the center. Jenna Sliger made an attempt on the cross that was saved and kept battling with a defender and the goalie for the loose ball, eventually winning the battle and driving the ball into the net for a 5-1 lead.
Griffiths scored a breakaway goal midway through the half, beating the goalie to the right corner by sliding to launch a low shot. Sliger capped the scoring with a rebound goal after Sara Tatum made a long breakaway using some nice moves to force a one-on-one with the goalie. Tatum’s shot was deflected but Sliger was there for the easy putback. The final was 7-1.
With the win, Bishop improved to 5-2 in High Desert League play an 10-3-3 overall, setting up an important pair of games. The team played Desert Christian on Thursday and will face Frazier Mountain next Thursday. The Lady Broncos were ranked No. 5 in the most recent Division 6 poll and are looking to wrap up a playoff spot and try for a top slot in the HDL.
|
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 March 2008 )
|
