Posted on 14 May 2010 by .
by Chip Carter
Mills Godwin Correspondent
Mills Godwin used goals off corner kicks in each half to come away with a 2-0 win over Douglas Freeman in an important Colonial District contest Friday night between DigitalSports Top 10 teams.
Godwin, No. 5 in the most recent Digital Sports rankings and celebrating Senior Night, had the advantage in both possession and dangerous attacks throughout.
Deft passing and nice crosses produced several first-half chances, but no early goals for the Eagles. Freeman sophomore keeper Alex Clagett produced tough saves, deflecting shots by Eagle forwards senior Marie Krider and junior Sarah Bellotti on well-timed charges out of the goal, and other Eagle shots went high or wide.
Freeman, ranked No. 7 by Digital Sports, got off only two shots in the first half, the more dangerous from senior forward Julia Wingfield at the 12:00 mark.
As Godwin defenders sandwiched Rebel freshman forward Liz Ahrens, the ball squirted out to Wingfield on the right. She quickly gathered the ball and shot, but sent the ball over the goal.
Godwin got on the board at the 8:40 mark of the first half when junior midfielder Ellen Upton headed in senior Kelsey Carter‘s corner kick for a 1-0 lead.
The last threat for either team in the first half came at 3:46 as Krider slipped a soft pass ahead to junior Jessica Atar who misfired high.
Halftime saw Godwin’s underclassmen reminded of Senior Night.
“[Junior midfielder] Lauren Abraham was telling all of them at halftime, ‘Win for our seniors!’,” said senior Becca Haislip. “There was a lot of enthusiasm.”
The second half saw Godwin increase its possession advantage. Scoring threats became more numerous and Clagett was busy, making six saves in the half.
Clagett charged out three times to deflect shots by Krider and Bellotti, and both Bellotti and Abraham misfired on shots Claggett could not reach.
At the 21:20 mark Godwin junior Alayna Vaughan continued her impressive placement on corner kicks, putting the ball about six yards from the box where Carter headed it in for a 2-0 lead.
The Rebels, who relied on long counter attacks, could not mount much sustained offense as Godwin defenders senior Emily Ornelas and junior Anna Boyce shadowed the impressive Ahrens.
Freeman senior Caitlin Rivas got her head on a corner kick at the 22:50 mark but sent it high. That was the last real Rebel threat until stoppage time when Ahrens finally broke free and fired a shot into the crossbar.
Ten seconds later the game ended.
“It was a game no one wanted to lose – it’s an important district game, we’re playing our rival, and it’s Senior Night,” said Carter.
The Eagles’ improved play coincides with improved health as Carter and Abraham have returned from injury, moving players back to their most effective positions.
“Our team is playing well now. Since we’ve gotten healthier, we’re definitely playing better as a team,” said Haislip.
With the win Godwin moved to 3-1 in the district and 8-4-1 overall. Freeman fell to 2-2 and 8-3-1.
Both the Eagles and the Rebels finish district play this week before beginning the Colonial District tournament May 24.
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