Cavs make early goal hold up against Cardinals

HOLLIS – Craig Powers wanted the Hollis/Brookline High School girls soccer team to start out strong and put Bishop Guertin away early.

The Cavaliers couldn’t have started any stronger. As for putting the Cardinals away …

“I’m just glad we left with a win,” Powers said.

Briana Bruinooge scored in the third minute of the game and that was the only goal either team could muster as the Cavs won 1-0 Tuesday in a Division I game.

Going into the game, Powers knew the Cardinals had fallen behind in a handful of games, only to battle back and find ways to steal wins. Bishop Guertin has played in five overtime games this season, going 3-1-1 in those contests.

“That’s been BG’s story all year, coming from behind to force overtime all year and then excelling in overtime,” said Powers, who picked up his 100^th win at H/B. “We did not want to go to that dance. We wanted to put them out of the game early. We couldn’t get the second goal. Our finishing wasn’t there today, but a good defense will take away that finishing.”

While falling behind in the opening minutes of the game was less than ideal for the Cardinals (8-6-1), they’ve become accustomed to playing from behind all year.

“Giving up an early goal like that against a formidable opponent like this really put us behind the eight ball,” Bishop Guertin coach Paul Sullivan said. “But we’ve been in situations earlier this season where we’ve been down three goals and come back and win in overtime. This team is maturing a lot along those lines, that we’re able to compete. I was forgetting what the score was. I was just caught up so much in the action.”

The action started early, as H/B’s Alicia Wilson got the ball inside the penalty box, and when a Bishop Guertin defender came out to challenge, Wilson was able to get by her.

Wilson was one-on-one with Cardinals’ goal Sarah Welch, and her shot beat Welch, but struck off the near post. The rebound traveled across the goal mouth, where Bruinooge came streaking in to chip the ball into the back of the net.

The Cavs (13-1-1) had a chance to make it 2-0 midway through the first, when Amanda Gerlitz sent a direct kick on goal, forcing Welch to make a diving save.

But Welch couldn’t hang on to the ball. McHale Perkins was right there for the rebound, but by the time she gathered the ball in, she was out of position to shoot. Instead, her crossing pass found the foot of a Bishop Guertin player and the ball was cleared.

Moments later, the Cardinals had a chance of their own, as Emily Flaherty-Woods had a shot beat goalie Natalie Giudici, but the ball skipped off the top of the crossbar and over the net.

In the second half, Welch made two leaping saves to keep the Cavs from extending the lead, and got some help from Jackie Geisler, who cleared the ball away from Gerlitz inside the box.

“Their pressure on the ball was extraordinary,” Powers said. “Probably the most pressure we’ve seen on the ball all year long. They forced us into turnovers and that definitely took us out of our game.”

The loss was just the second for the Cardinals in their last eight games, a stretch that’s including wins over Manchester Central, Londonderry and Salem.

“We seem to be playing well against the teams who are above us in the standings, and not so well against the teams who are below us,” Sullivan said. “I felt for the most part, we were very competitive with them. They’re a very good team and it’s a good measure for where we are. We’re very young and I think slowly improving. It’s more about our consistency and day-to-day being able to come out with the same efforts. We’re getting there.”

It was the 10^th time this season the Cavs haven’t allowed a goal, which includes the last seven games.

“It’s been almost 600 minutes since we’ve given up a goal,” Powers said. “They’ve beaten some very good teams and we entered the game with a lot of respect for what they’ve done, especially coming from behind.”

Both teams have one game left in the regular season before the Division I playoffs start on Oct. 27. H/B will travel to Derry to face Pinkerton on Friday, while Bishop Guertin will host Keene, also on Friday.