21 May 10
Written by DHSoccer
Maize tops Derby 4-1 in regional final
Posted: May 21, 2010 10:48 AM CDT
By RYAN KEIM
Maize Correspondent for CatchItKansas.com
The Maize girls soccer team is heading to the Class 6A state quarterfinals thanks to the effort of three seniors.
Meagan Beals, Miranda Holmes and Blair Terry all scored Thursday night as the Eagles won the South Central Regional 2 final against Derby 4-1 and moved within one victory of the state tournament.
Holmes and Terry got Maize off to a good start with goals in the first 15 minutes. Terry scored with 31:24 left in the opening half off a pass from Abby Cinotto, and Holmes recorded an unassisted goal against Derby goalkeeper Bridget Walston 5½ minutes later.
Walston settled down after that and kept the Panthers in the game by making saves. Derby then got just the break it needed when Maize goalkeeper Kaitlyn Black came out from the net to stop a Panthers attack and misjudged the bouncing ball, which ended up behind her. Shelby Smith knocked in the loose ball to cut the Eagles' lead to 2-1.
Smith's goal in the 27th minute gave Derby confidence and the Panthers started controlling the ball. Maize coach Jay Holmes felt the Eagles added to the switch in momentum by losing their focus.
"I thought that after they scored that goal, we kind of lost our composure somewhat," he said.
Maize (14-2-1) regrouped at halftime and, according to Holmes, got back to playing its game. Terry scored another goal seven minutes into the second half and the Eagles were on their way to being victorious. Beals added the final goal with 3:33 to go.
Holmes was pleased with how his team regained the momentum at the start of the second half and then kept it for most of the final 40 minutes.
"I thought that they did a good job of getting it back," he said. "They did a nice job of possessing the ball tonight."
The Eagles kept Walston busy, but she prevented the game from getting out of hand and gave her team a chance. The Panthers just couldn't convert on the limited scoring opportunities they had.
One of those scoring chances was when Derby forced Maize into a yellow card with 13:40 remaining, but Gabby Navarro's free kick sailed out of bounds. River Crawford then had a shot in front of the Eagles' net get blocked late in the game.
Derby ends the season at 8-9-1, with three of those losses coming to Maize.
The Eagles are riding a nine-game winning streak into the quarterfinals and Holmes said his team will host one of the May 25 contests. He's unsure of who the opponent will be though since there are games today, including Wichita Northwest at Garden City.
Derby1 0 — 1 Maize2 2 — 4
First half—Maize, Terry (unassisted); Maize, Mi. Holmes (unassisted); Derby, Smith (unassisted). Second half— Maize, Terry (unassisted); Maize, Beals (Terry). Shots— Derby 1-1—2; Maize 8-7—15. Saves— Derby, Walston 6-3—9; Maize, Black 0-1—1.
Stats by VarsityKansas.com
Final Record 8-9-1
