It has been a season of games like tonight and I can't praise the girls enough for coming through another tough test. The weather played a factor in many ways and it took a real team effort and one outstanding moment to get us the win.
I thought we started out really well, we looked sharp and our possession was crisp and penetrating. We had a couple of half chances but didn't really test the SF keeper. As the first half went on they came into the game more and had some dangerous moments that thankfully we defended well.
Since the start of the season we have preached our strength in depth, how each game is different and now that the playoffs are here it only takes one good moment to win a game and advance. Tonight we got that from Shannon Liedl, who came off the bench in the second half to hit a left footed bomb from about 30 yards that evaded the Spring Ford keeper. Shannon is a great example of a team mindset, she is a senior player that maybe doesn't always get the minutes she wants, but her commitment to the program, the team and her effort when called upon is never in doubt. She deserved that moment tonight and while Spring Ford had a lot of pressure in the second half , our back line stood firm. Danielle Eden and Molly Sheehy combined for a great shutout to allow us to advance to Thursday.
Our midfielder did a good job of pressing throughout the game, Marlena Ries, Ella Needham and Taylor Brennan kept them off balance, Riley Hamilton and Morgan McCaffery were solid behind them. Playoff soccer is much different than the regular season, and for our group tonight there were a lot of girls experiencing that for the first time. We are happy to advance and we will get back to work tomorrow in preparation for Thursday.