DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
KINGSLAND – An eighth consecutive sectional title was on the line Saturday night in the cold, windy weather as Bellmont had the chance to win another IHSAA trophy by knocking off another rival. After beating Norwell on Thursday, coach Steve Lee’s team dominated possession and outlasted Heritage, advancing to the regional for the 10th time in the last 11 years.
Heritage had little choice after a 3-1 home loss last week against the Braves to resort to a defensive-minded strategy, hoping to catch the Braves on a long-ball counter-attack. While the Patriots defended well throughout the first half, it was a goaltending mistake and a Bellmont penalty that really clinched the game for coach Steve Lee’s team.
Arabelle Laurent’s cross in the 21st minute went into the box, intended for Carly Gilbert, and the threat of Gilbert was enough to cause havoc in the Heritage back line, and the ball was in the back of the net (see photo gallery below) for a 1-0 Bellmont lead.
Heritage’s chances in the games were even more dire after their leading scorer, Nin Way, hobbled off with a non-contact injury after stretching her leg out to keep a ball in play near the Bellmont sideline. She did not return to the game.
That 1-0 score held all the way into the 55th minute when Gilbert was leveled in the box and awarded a penalty, which she calmly converted to seal Heritage’s fate.
The Braves added two more goals in quick succession as Gilbert found Lilly Alberding open in the box in the 65th minute and Alberding slotted it home past a diving Corrinne Bowers. Two minutes later, Anna Ruble beat three defenders and scored from near the penalty spot to add icing on the cake and set the Braves up for a Thursday night showdown with another long-standing rival in girls sports for Bellmont – the Yorktown Tigers.
Along with the fourth goal of the game, Ruble was also credited with an assist.
Emma Scheumann was once again a key cog in the midfield and in the possession game, winning tackles and picking out teammates with crisp passes. She had two assists in the victory.
The Braves took a different approach than Heritage when it came to defending the opponents’ best player. Whereas Heritage spent much of the night trying to man-mark Gilbert, the Braves used a team effort on the back line to cut Way down and limit her chances.
Attempting to play much of her team’s possession down the right side, Way had a tough night against freshman Kate Kitson, who was superb each time she encountered the senior forward.
The strategy on Gilbert may have been the best option the Patriots had, but it was unsuccessful due in large part to the senior’s speed. She finished the match on the bench for the final 12 minutes as coach Lee hoped to avoid any risk of injury in the dying moments, but Gilbert still finished with an incredible 13 attempts. She dominated the 50/50 balls that came as a result of Heritage’s goal kicks as the Braves benefitted from as much as 90% possession at some points in the game.
Taylor Louis and Emily Barton combined to keep a clean sheet against the Patriots as coach Lee used nearly every girl on his roster in the final ten minutes, allowing his entire team to take part in yet another Bellmont sectional victory.
The Braves are now set to host Yorktown Thursday after the Tigers defeated Hamilton Heights in penalties in their sectional final. A win Thursday could pit the Braves in a rematch of last year’s regional final against Leo, who also advanced Saturday in a shootout. Bellmont defeated Leo earlier this year 1-0.
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