Northview Titans Junior Varsity Girls Game Summaries
Northview v Pope - 3-1
March 24th, 2007
A warm Saturday morning in a sun-drenched Northview Stadium was the setting as the JV girls took on the Greyhounds of Pope. Game time temperatures were over 700, feeling more like May than late March. But these conditions obviously suited the Lady Titans as they came away with a convincing 3-1 victory.
Northview attacked quickly as forward Shelby Apps took the ball deep into Pope territory in the first 30 seconds of the match, sending a nice cross to Hillary Millard, whose header was just wide of the goal. And while no more serious scoring threats were mounted by the Lady Titans in the early going, they were certainly controlling the flow of the game with much better passing and possession than they had shown in recent matches.
As usual, the defense played solidly throughout the half, recovering quickly from any slight misplay. In fact, goalkeeper Hannah Riddle rarely touched the ball as defenders Lisa Johnson, Mara Hamilton, Caitlin Swindall, Kylie Janusek and Michelle DiPietro were on their game.
The midfielders got into the act as well. With 18:00 showing on the clock, Kellie Aaron sent a nice shot on goal, only to see the Pope keeper make the save. The offense of Millard, Apps, Carly Martini and Daria Gound continued to pressure, sending cross after cross that resulted in multiple corner opportunities. But still the Northview girls could not score. With just over a minute remaining in the half, Pope sent a nice ball to the front, but Riddle quickly pounced on the ball. The score at the half was 0-0, again.
The Lady Titans came out strong in the second half, seemingly not discouraged by their continuing struggles to score. At the 32:00 minute mark, Gound sent a nice corner kick arcing in front of the goal. Millard played it perfectly, and tapped it just out of the reach of the Pope keeper into the net for the score.
Now holding a 1-0 lead, Northview perhaps could feel the monkey slipping off their backs. Aarons continued to lead the midfielders, getting off another shot after some nice juggling that went a little high. Anna Kornmayer consistently plugged up the middle with good, aggressive play – and always found an open teammate with her subsequent passes. Kelly Hoehn and Samantha Howard augmented the middle as well, pushing the ball forward.
Buoyed by the score, the defense played with even more passion than ever, with both DiPietro and Janusek making spectacular saves in the early going of the second half. Jessica Cerverizzo got in on the act as well, forcing the attacking Pope players wide and out of harms way.
At the 26:00 mark, Northview had another corner, with Millard’s volley shot going just over the crossbar. A minute later on yet another corner, a low kick resulted in a mad scramble for the ball. And somehow Kelli Aarons fought through the crowd and shot the ball quickly in for the score, and a more comfortable 2-0 lead.
With 19:00 on the clock, the Northview girls received another corner opportunity. This one sailed beautifully in front of the goal, and defender Kylie Janusek headed it in for the score!
The Lady Titans were not content to sit on their 3-0 lead, and continued to play hard and aggressive soccer. Shortly after the third score, a loose ball was rolling towards the sideline near the Northview bench. Millard sprinted for the ball, sent it up the line just before it went out. As the ball hugged the stripe, Millard’s momentum took her behind the bench, and as she rounded the other side she realized too late that she was headed right for all the girls’ neatly lined bags. She crashed into the bags, hit the ground, jumped back up and sprinted for the ball in the corner near the flag where she proceeded to steal it back from the Pope player, crossing it back to the middle. And while nothing came from the play, it showed that the girls were not satisfied and were going to keep playing hard.
With just about 10:00 to go, Northview experienced a rare defensive breakdown, and goalie Hannah Riddle found herself facing a one on one situation. The Pope player timed her shot perfectly, and sent it past for the score. Still up 3-1, the eventual outcome seemed safe. With just a few minutes to go, Shelby Apps put on one final offensive display as she put a beautiful spin move on the defense and raced up the far sideline at full speed. She sent a perfect pass to Gound, who in turn found Martini in the middle – Carly’s shot was just off, and the game ended with the Lady Titans victorious, 3-1.
The season is winding down, with only one match remaining on April 9 again Centennial. The Lady Titan’s record now stands at a respectable 5-1-4.
