Lady Flashes face uphill march to state playoffs|[01/15/08]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 15, 2008

An elusive playoff spot for the St. Aloysius girls soccer team remained just that Monday night at Balzli Field.

St. Al (5-7, 2-2) had a chance to clinch a 1A-2A playoff berth with a two-goal win over visiting Madison St. Joseph.

Instead, the Lady Bruins scored the game’s only goal in stoppage time in the first half and held on for the 1-0 win. St. Al, now, must sweep St. Andrew’s in order to make the playoffs.

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“We still have a chance, but we’re going to have to beat St. Andrew’s,” Lady Flashes’ midfielder Haley Davis said. “We played a good game tonight. We just got unlucky on the one goal.”

St. Al had three shots in the first 30 minutes, but each missed the target. St. Al goalkeeper Tori Hines made five saves during the first 35 minutes to keep the game scoreless.

Madison St. Joe (6-8-3) had the game’s first big chance when Katherine Scott rocketed a shot from 35 yards out that just caught enough of the high post to bound away in the 39th minute.

But just a minute or so later, the Lady Bruins came storming back. A cross by Scott found the middle where Shannon Burns was able to kick it home past Hines for the goal.

St. Al mounted only a couple of chances in the second half, the best opportunity coming off a cross that got knocked away.

“It was a good game, the one goal, that was it. I thought it was a good aggressive game from both teams,” St. Al coach Will Vollor said.

“We just missed on some good opportunities. We also didn’t have many calls go our way. We just don’t seem to get that home-field advantage,” Vollor added.

Hines finished with eight saves for the Lady Flashes. Madison’s Elizabeth Cobb made five and recorded her second straight shutout of St. Al in eight days. The Lady Bruins also won 1-0 last week in Madison.

(B) St. Joe 13, St. Al 1

Michael Chapman scored four goals and John Chapman had three as the Bruins (10-3-3) blistered the Flashes.

St. Al’s lone goal came from Adam Thornton. The loss drops St. Al to 3-7-2 on the season and 2-2 in division play.

Also scoring for the Bruins were Cameron Cooper, Christian Chirinos, Will Spencer, Jeremy Pate, Ryan Crandall and Sergio Bermudez.

The Flashes are scheduled to play at St. Andrew’s on Tuesday starting at 7 p.m.