DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
KINGSLAND – “We knew they were going to come out strong in the second half and after they got their goal they were starting to push a little bit more, so we knew we had to push back.”
Bellmont senior captain Arabelle Laurent had no intention of ending her high school soccer career in the nasty weather of Thursday’s sectional semifinal against bitter rivals Norwell.
Laurent and her teammates had built a 2-0 lead in the driving rain when Norwell’s talented sophomore, Grace Mann, scored in the 59th minute to cut the lead to one goal.
That’s when Arabelle answered right back, teaming up with her sister for a goal off of a corner kick. The Norwell defense failed to close down on her after a beautifully-lofted pass from Gwen, and less than 90 seconds after Mann’s goal, the lead was back to two goals.
“Gwen just lofted the ball perfectly and I saw it, found it, and put it in.”
“That was a big goal,” confirmed Bellmont head coach Steve Lee. “There’s no doubt the momentum definitely shifted on their goal, and, in turn, on ours.”
Lee noted just how important (Gwen) Laurent’s corners have been this season. The junior broke her hand in the 1-0 win over Norwell in the regular season, but has been invaluable since her return. She played all 80 minutes Thursday with her cast wrapped in a plastic bag.
“Her corner’s were great last night,” said Lee. “That was especially important with the weather last night.”
The weather certainly dominated the pre-match discussions on the south side of the new Norwell Middle School Thursday evening. While parents and fans searched for ways to avoid the rain, there was no avoiding it for the players. They were drenched from headband to the toes of their boots from the outset.
Lee admitted after the match that the combination of opponent, location and weather worried him and his staff.
“The conditions were a concern before the game,” he told WZBD. “but I felt both teams adjusted well to the conditions.”
The Braves were off to a good start immediately in the first half and Norwell did not enjoy a touch in the attacking third of the field for the first nine minutes of the contest.
Arabelle Laurent had the first real chance of the game, rattling the crossbar on a powerful strike that had beaten the Norwell keeper in the fourth minute and blasting a ball into the outside of the side netting at 7′. She added a third shot in goal in the 15th minute.
Carly Gilbert (pictured in gallery below) got in on the action in the 19th minute with a fantastic shot that was just pushed over the bar by Gracie Rinkenberger for a corner.
Gilbert won a 50/50 ball near the top of the box in the 23rd minute and her ensuing pass resulted in a Norwell hand ball, giving the senior, who is quickly approaching Bellmont’s all-time scoring record, a chance at a set piece. Rinkenberger made the save as Gilbert’s ball was on target and the Knights played the ball out of the back and got their first shot on goal, giving Taylor Louis her first touch of the game at 24′.
The Braves broke the game open with a goal by Anna Ruble (pictured below) and Gilbert added a second to give the Braves their 2-0 lead ahead of Mann’s goal.
“Now we have to just keep going,” Arabelle Laurent told WZBD as Heritage, the Braves’ opponent in Saturday’s final, was warming up for the second semifinal.
The rain didn’t seem to bother any of the Bellmont regulars.
“It was slippery and it was definitely raining hard, but playing in a game like this was fun.”
“They played for each other tonight,” said coach Lee. “And on a night like tonight, you have to be in it together. The weather is miserable, the ball doesn’t bounce like you want it to, so you have to have each others’ backs. We enjoyed great possession tonight. That was the key.”
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