HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY
September 8, 2007
Bulldogs finally finish to win CAL Classic title
By
NATHAN CHAMBERS
BeyondTheDerby.com
Male saved its best for last in the CAL Classic’s first-place game on Saturday.
On their 11th penalty corner – and their second in sudden-death overtime – the Bulldogs drew Christian Academy goalkeeper Paige Neat into a scrum in front of her cage, and Joanna Foresman tapped a shot over the exposed goal line to beat the host Centurions 1-0.
”We’ve played in overtime before, and we were really confident,” Foresman said. “We knew we could pull it out.”
In doing so, the Bulldogs (6-3-1) finished a successful three-game stretch; they had tied Manual and beaten Presentation in pool play on Friday.
“I know we have great potential,” Male coach Amy Shumate said. “It’s just a matter of getting everything to click at the same time.”
The Centurions (7-3) had rolled through their two games on Friday – a 6-0 win over Seneca and a 3-0 win over St. Francis – but couldn’t do the same against Male. They put just five shots on goalie Megan Martiny.
“I’ve seen them play a better hockey game,” Christian Academy coach Andrea Roussel said of her players. “But they fought, and that’s all you can do. They’ll be better for it tomorrow.”
Male’s victory completed a sweep of sorts for Pool Two teams. Presentation beat St. Francis 3-0 for third place, and Manual beat Seneca 5-0 for fifth place; both games were 30 minutes.
Presentation 3, St. Francis 0
The Toppers’ only reason for disappointment was their 2-1 loss to Male on Friday, the same day they pulled off the upset of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Manual.
“It would have been better if we were in the championship game,” Presentation coach Jill O’Bryan admitted. “But I’m happy with the way we’re playing at this point in the season.”
Caitlin Maguire, Sue Stein, and Paige Wilson scored for Presentation (4-5).
Manual 5, Seneca 0
Jayme Ruckriegel scored twice for the Crimsons (6-4-1), who bounced back with a dominant win.
Natalie O’Connell, Sydney Sprawls, and Allison Whitehouse also scored.
