×

Defender girls fall in semifinal shutout

Warrior Run's Madie Majcher and Blooms­burg's Kelsey Widom go for a high kick in the second half. (MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette)

HUGHESVILLE — Bloomsburg coach Jon Joseph told his team on Monday after practice that the Panthers’ semifinal game was going to be a 1-0 game against Warrior Run one way or the other. He knew they would need to score a goal against Warrior Run and then play excellent defensively because against the defending three-time district champions because the odds of scoring twice on Warrior Run aren’t that high.

So when Kelsey Widom played a free kick about 50 yards out over the top, Bloomsburg freshman Paige Temple saw her opportunity and took it. Temple saw a gap and went for the ball and placed it just to her right past Warrior Run goalie Megan Zimmerman.

It was the goal the Panthers were hoping for and that one-goal prediction Joseph had on Monday rang true as Bloomsburg held on for a 1-0 win over Warrior Run in the District 4 Class A semifinals at Raymond H. Perritt Stadium in Hughesville on Tuesday evening.

For the Panthers, it’s the first time in 24 years they are playing for a district championship.

After taking the 1-0 lead with 19:22 to play in the game, Bloomsburg played well in limiting Warrior Run’s chances, as the Defenders only had two shots on goal the entire second half, both coming on free kicks from Avery Bieber from outside the 18.

Bieber had a number of chances and looks in the first half, but three shots were blocked by Abbey Gerasimoff in goal, including a solid stop to the top left upper 90 that she managed to get her hands on and block with 19 to play until halftime.

“I thought first half she was really close to getting one, but close doesn’t count,” Jen Allen said of Bieber’s chances.

Bloomsburg did a great job forcing Warrior Run to take shots from far, as only one of the Defenders 14 total shots came from inside of the 18.

“I thought we possessed the ball well in the first half,” Joseph. “We figured they’d try to play some speed up front, so we had our sweeper play a bit deep. The girls in the back did a great job.”

“Usually after we score we shut down, this time when we scored we just kept going, we didn’t stop,” Temple said. “Went into a little more defensive mode, but we ddin’t want to change our momentum and kept going forward and kept doing what we’ve been doing.”

With 80 seconds to play, Bieber had a free kick from 35 yards out that she tried to sneak inside of the left post, but Gerasimoff again came up with a stop to prevent the equalizer late in the game.

Warrior Run’s Madie Majcher was held in check for most of the game, not recording a single shot as Bloomsburg didn’t allow the dangerous Warrior Run senior to get into open space and fire a shot.

“We put our two fastest wingers (on Majcher). She switched sides, we switched sides,” Joseph said. “She has the moves to prove it. She hit some fantastic moves and girls hung with her.”

“They spread us out pretty well and they didn’t keep it on ground much. We’re better when we can pass to feet, when ball’s in the air, that’s not our game. It is what it is,” Allen said.

B–Paige Temple (Kelsey Widom), 19:22.

Shots: B 5, WR 7. Corners: B 11, WR 3. Ssves: B (Abbey Gerasimoff) 7, WR (Megan Zimmerman)

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today