Purple reign: Bloom-Carroll finally breaks through against Granville
WHITEHALL ― Elizabeth Cline had to fight just to earn her job as Bloom-Carroll's starting goalie.
So when top-seeded Granville hit her with a barrage of shots Saturday at Whitehall High School, she was not easily fazed.
The stellar sophomore dove and deflected away the Blue Aces' threats, enough to preserve a historic 2-1 victory that gave the third-seeded Bulldogs their first Division II district girls soccer title in the fourth finals appearance against Granville.
"We have three fantastic goalies, and it was quite a battle in the preseason, but she challenged herself to get better, by playing teams like Granville in a scrimmage," said B-C coach Mark Casperson, who is good friends with Blue Aces' coach Scott Forster.
Cline said it took a lot of training to get the job, and now the Bulldogs (18-1-2) will make their first regional appearance at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Centerville against defending state runner-up Waynesville, which is unbeaten.
"I had to beat out a returning junior," Cline said. "Playing goal, what I enjoy the most is getting a lot of shots against me in the tougher games."
She got her wish as Granville (12-3-4), a three-time state runner-up and six-time state semifinalist, scrambled to overcome a 2-0 deficit. Ava Labocki finally broke the ice for the Blue Aces with 25:46 left, using some fancy footwork to score with the left foot while sliding the ball into the right side of the net.
The fun was just starting for Cline, as she made a beautiful diving stop on junior Hope Mahl with 14:03 to play. Six minutes, she had another dive for a save, then deflected the ball in the air and recovered after Mahl hit freshman Ivy Miller with a great cross in front of the goal.
"She had an amazing game," said junior forward Savannah Wilde, a prolific goal scorer whose blast from the right side provided the 2-0 lead and what proved to be the game winner with 32:28 to play. "She worked so hard just to secure her starting spot."
Bloom-Carroll's defense played a big role in shutting down the high-scoring Blue Aces, frustrating Granville in the midfield. It helped that the Bulldogs scored 10 minutes into the game on an own goal by the Blue Aces when a defender tried to clear a corner kick and headed the ball into her own net.
Cline then preserved the 1-0 halftime lead by knocking away Lyndy Van Horn's curving shot from in front of the goal during the final minute.
Forster challenged his team to take better care of the ball and get more movement off the ball instead of allowing B-C to simply kick it downfield. And to play with a different level of urgency. But Wilde's goal upped the ante.
"Last year, we got up 1-0 on them, tried to play them straight up, and got beat 3-1," Casperson said. "They have the best attack that we see, year in and year out, and we learned from it.
"The midfield is our strength, with all three starters back, and Tessa Banks is the engine that drives it. But we still wanted to attack, and we dumped her (Wilde) back in, and she scored her 42nd goal on the counter. They like to play a possession game, but I told our team in the end it only matters what that scoreboard says."
Said Forster: "It was a miscommunication between our center back and keeper, about who was going to get that ball."
Granville had seldom trailed 2-0.
"It took a big weight off our shoulders," Wilde said of her goal. "They're a really good offensive team, but we have a great defense."
Added Cline: "With a 2-0 lead, we were able to fall back on defense sooner, and make them earn their goals."
Forster admitted his team didn't execute like it should have and didn't play its normal game until the final eight minutes of the first half.
"The second half was pretty good," he said. "We had some opportunities to go win the game, but she (Cline) had some really good saves. I'm super happy for him (Casperson). We didn't want to lose, but we couldn't have lost to a better person."
Granville will miss its six seniors in Labocki, Van Horn, Vivian Long, Allison Tarone, Audrey Nolan and Allie Messner.
"I had them for seven years, and we've spent a lot of time training, spent a lot time playing the games," Forster said. "They really were a special group."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Purple reign: Bloom-Carroll finally breaks through against Granville
