Grizzlies earn tie with Gorman, stay atop Southwest League

Megan Delaney gave the Grizzlies exactly what they needed.
Delaney made eight saves, including five during a first-half onslaught, to lift Spring Valley to a 0-0 tie with the host Gaels.

The draw allowed the Grizzlies (10-1-3, 9-0-2 Southwest) to keep a one-point lead on Gorman for first place in the Southwest League with three matches to play.

“I kind of knew what was coming. (Gorman) doesn’t lose, and so I could only imagine the intensity they were going to come out with,” Delaney said. “I had an idea that they would start laying into us.
“I told my defense to calm down, keep their heads in the game and just listen to me. I kept myself going by sticking with the play.”

Gorman (10-3-2, 9-1-1) dominated possession throughout the match, outshooting the Grizzlies 17-1.

But Delaney, helped by key defensive stops by central defenders Mahala Shumway and Madisyn Delaney, stumped the Gaels on each possession.

Megan Delaney made her first save barely six minutes into the match, batting down a blast by Gorman’s Kaila Brinkman. The junior goalkeeper who has committed to Southern California also added a brilliant swat on Haley Wingender’s diving header after a 26th-minute corner kick.

“I wasn’t about to get myself out of the game with everybody talking around me,” Delaney said. “I tried to keep my head in the game. The smack talk is something I’m going to have to get used to.”

The teams combined for 17 first-half fouls, including three yellow cards, in a physical match, and Spring Valley defender Anay Barajas picked up her second yellow card in the 58th minute to force the Grizzlies to finish with 10 players.

“We had an idea what kind of pressure they would give, and they did what we thought they would do,” Spring Valley coach Bill Hamilton said. “We did what we needed to do in order to get the point.
“Gorman’s so good. They’re a talented group of girls. It was a great atmosphere; this is what high school soccer’s about.”

Delaney saved three shots by Gorman’s Mia Moore to preserve the shutout, and the Gaels missed the target on another six shots.

Standout striker Markie Henderson shifted to the middle of the Grizzlies’ defense after the team was short-handed, shadowing Wingender each time the Gorman standout touched the ball. Freshman Madisyn Delaney also blocked two shots in the final 15 minutes.

“Any time you can get a mental advantage, you become stronger,” Hamilton said. “By now, the girls have pretty good technique. But you have to believe you can beat a team.

“It’s taken us three years now to see they can compete and also win. Every game they want to improve their game. They aren’t afraid now.”

Angelica Pawlowski earned the shutout for Gorman, coming off her line to contain a Spring Valley corner kick six minutes before halftime for her only touch of the match.