Published: October 15, 2008 01:20 am            

SOCCER: Bulldogs top Pioneers in sectional; Silver Creek downs Salem

JEFFERSONVILLE — First came the water. Then came the flood.

While a broken water pipe turned its sideline into a swamp, the New Albany girls’ soccer team turned what was expected to be a narrow matchup with rival Providence into a washout.

The Bulldogs scored two goals within the game’s first 12 minutes, then added two more early in the second half to beat the Pioneers 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the Jeffersonville Sectional on Tuesday.

New Albany will meet Silver Creek in Thursday’s first semifinal at 6 p.m. The Dragons beat Salem 2-0 in their first-ever postseason game on Tuesday. The other semifinal will pit the winner of the Jeffersonville-Christian Academy and Floyd Central-Corydon contests, to be held tonight, beginning at 6 p.m.



New Albany vs. Providence

An aggressive New Albany attack had the Pioneers back on their heels from the beginning, ensuing this match would be a far cry from the regular-season meeting, when the Bulldogs scored two goals in the final three minutes for a 2-1 victory.

“Everyone kept saying that we couldn’t do it two times in a season,” said first-year New Albany coach Julie Deuser. “The girls really used that as motivation and played with a lot of heart.”

Both teams nearly broke though early, but it was Kelsey Graeter who delivered the first goal, penetrating deep into the goalie box and beating Providence keeper Kayla Meisner with 31:28 showing on the clock.

The second New Albany goal was somewhat less than convention, as Meisner leapt high for a save and sent the ball straight up into the air. She became tangled with Kamaren Cole near the goal line and, as the two struggled, the ball dropped and crossed the line.

“Two of those goals were bizarre,” said Providence coach Dave Smith. “It just wasn’t our night. But New Albany is athletic and well-coached. Give a lot of credit to Julie.”

The Pioneers briefly managed to crawl back into it, as a crossing pass from Kelsey Rogers landed at the feet of Madeline Smith, who fired a shot that bounced off the left side of the goal post at past Bulldog keeper Taylor Briscoe with 1:30 left before halftime.

“That was a mistake that we made,” Deuser said. “At halftime, I just told them to make sure that was the last one.”

Mackenzie Nash delivered the third New Albany goal less than five minutes into the second half, booting a free kick from 50 yards out that was juggled by Meisner and somehow came to rest inside the net. Sophie Riggs, who had entered the game just seconds earlier, then made it 4-1 by scoring off a corner kick with less than 27 minutes to play.

From there, the Bulldog defense hung on by limiting the Pioneers’ chances and getting solid play from Briscoe, who had seven saves.

The defense was particularly tough on Providence star Laura Jenkins, who finished her career tied for the school record with 50 goals scored. Twenty-three of those goals came during her senior year, the best mark in program history.

It was an ironic ending for Jenkins and four other Providence seniors, as the Pioneers had not lost to the Bulldogs since the 2000 season.

“The seniors had a great career — they won a lot of games and represented the school with class,” Smith said. “We can’t ask for more than that.”



Silver Creek vs. Salem

The Dragons had their chances early, nearly scoring the program’s first sectional goal on a shot by Hayley Turner midway through the first half. The score was wiped away, but it wouldn’t be much longer before Silver Creek lit up the scoreboard.

The Lions, also in their first varsity sectional matchup, found themselves losing the majority of battles at midfield, but still managed to make it to the intermission in a 0-0 tie.

Forward Heather Stacey found the net for Silver Creek just after the intermission, and freshman Kathleen Himmelheber followed with a goal moments later and the Dragons hung on from there.

Silver Creek continued its dominance of the midfield over the final 40 minutes, outshooting Salem 10-4 and preserving a shutout for senior keeper Erin Richmer.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.