VESTAL – Greene head coach Sue Carlin didn’t have a premonition or was tapping any sort of intuition. She saw her team’s game preparation and just had a really good feeling.
“I knew in the locker room and even in the bus ride over that we were ready to play,” Carlin. “We had a great warmup and you could just tell by the energy level that we would play well.”
On an early-November evening, the Trojans’ play was a crisp as the nighttime air in a 3-0 shutout victory over Whitney Point Friday at Dick Hoover Stadium.
It was the second straight Section IV, Class A title for Greene, who play the winner of Section V and Section VI Saturday afternoon at Oneonta State. “We started hot and the players were excited,” Carlin said. “The first goal came so quick, and that just pumped us up even more.”
Freshman Andrea Day, Greene’s scoring leader with 22 tallies, had the opening goal just 51 seconds into play to set the tone for a three-goal half. And a three-goal lead in field hockey is probably the equivalent of at least three touchdowns in football. “The first half was just amazing,” Day said after the victory. “We couldn’t have expected a better start.”
The Trojans (17-2) were not facing a pushover opponent, although they were clearly the bully in this contest controlling possession of the ball in Whitney Point’s defensive zone at least two-thirds of the first half. Day scored in extended play after a penalty corner, and two of Greene’s three goals came after forcing a penalty corner. “Our corners weren’t very effective against Vestal (Greene’s 2-1 playoff win last week), so it was good to convert those tonight,” Carlin said.
Whitney Point (15-3) had a couple offensive rushes that were turned aside by strong defense and a couple kick saves from keeper Devyn Staley. Staley was required to make three saves for her second shutout over Whitney Point in the last month. “Whitney Point has improved a lot since last year (a 3-1 Greene sectional title win),” Carlin said. “It’s a credit to our kids that we were able to come back after we lost to them earlier this season.”
Stephanie Washburn had the Trojans’ second goal with just 10:34 elapsed, and senior Holly Davis, who recorded two assists in last year’s title win, tacked on an insurance goal with 1:45 remaining in the second half.
Whitney Point’s defense escaped further damage thanks to goalie Alesha Widdall and a defensive line that pulled the ball off the goal line at least two more times in the first half to prevent further damage on the scoreboard. “We knew Whitney Point would be a tough team, and we came out with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm,” Day said.
Summary
(3-0 Greene at half)
Goals-assists: Andrea Day, 1-0 (29:09), Stephanie Washburn, 1-0 (19:26), Holly Davis, 1-0 (1:45).
Shots-corners: (G) 20-13, (WP), 4-8.
Saves: (G) Devyn Staley 3, (WP) Alesha Widdall, 13.