It was NorthWood by a little and Northridge by a bunch Tuesday night in a girls soccer sectional at Goshen High School.
NorthWood edged Goshen, 1-0, while Northridge ran away from Elkhart Memorial, 4-0, as the first round was completed.
Semifinals are Thursday with Concord meeting Penn at 5 p.m., followed by NorthWood and Northridge at about 7.
The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.
NorthWood sophomore Hilary Lechlitner accounted for the only goal in Tuesday’s opener which was a defensive struggle most of the way.
She took about a 25-yard shot which eluded the Goshen goaltender with about 6:54 to play.
Redskin sophomore Naomi Moreno had a scoring opportunity in the final minute, but it was denied.
Senior Jessica Schirch had Goshen’s best scoring chance in the first half and the Redskins were denied a goal when officials ruled NorthWood had possession before the ball wound up in the net.
GHS senior Becca McFadden blocked a NorthWood threat before halftime.
NorthWood senior Kelcie Lehman had a point-blank attempt in the second half stopped by Goshen junior keeper Gabby Garcia. Redskin senior defender Mackenzie Rozelle also did a good job protecting her area.
Both Moreno and Goshen freshman Gaby Romo had shots on goal in the second half.
Shots on goal were even at 6-6 with NorthWood having a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. Panther sophomore Danae Ehret had six keeper saves and Goshen’s Garcia five.
NorthWood coach Phil Ummel said, “We knew it would be a tough game, probably decided by one goal. We had a lot of young players in their first sectional game and it took time for them to get into it.
“I thought our defense was very solid with (senior) Chelsea Stutzman, (sophomore) Brittany Lengacher, (seniors) Kaylin Beckwith and Nancy Medina the back four covering for each other.”
Goshen coach Dan Graber said, “This is by far the best NorthWood team I have seen in eight years, We are very similar teams and it figured to be a close game.
“I thought we did a good job on (junior Kristyn) Burt and (senior Kelcie) Lehman who are their main threats.
“Our issue has been scoring. We don’t have some of the firepower we’ve had in past years. We are blessed to have some good freshmen and nine wins is nothing to be ashamed of.
“It will be tough saying goodbye to our nine seniors (Alaina Schwartz, Katie Miller, Krista Miller, Cassie Calderon, Cinthia Coronado, Mackenzie Rozelle, Becca McFadden, Jessica Schirch and Iris Mederos).”
Junior Kelsi Bowman scored for Northridge with 33:38 to go in the first half of the nightcap, assisted by junior Emylee Smith. It was 1-0 at halftime.
Bowman scored with 36:36 to play, assisted by junior Connie Smith; Connie Smith tallied with 34:25 left, assisted by junior Alli Bullock; and senior Stacy Denman scored with 22:05 to go, assisted by senior Hayley Keil.
Northridge had a 22-0 command in shots on goal and 10-0 in corner kicks. Junior Kaytlynn Coulter was the Raider keeper.
Raider coach Bill Redinger said, “We scored that first goal and then I think we relaxed too much. We just didn’t seem motivated for awhile.
“We had a better run of play in the second half. Some times, it takes awhile to get into tournament play, especially for younger players. Thankfully, we do have several with experience.
“This was our 14th shutout of the season and we showed good organization on defense. Our goalie is in her third year.”
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JUSTIN CRIPE
NorthWood, Northridge advance
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