Unbeaten Centennial girls survive, head to 4A state tourney — PHOTOS
Centennial’s girls soccer team was unable to capitalize on a flurry of opportunities in the final 10 minutes of regulation in a match with Canyon Springs on Wednesday.
Senior captain Natalie Sligar made sure the Bulldogs only needed one real scoring chance in extra time.
Sligar scored in the sixth minute of extra time, slipping a shot past Pioneers goalkeeper Jamie Hernandez inside the near post, to lift the Bulldogs to a 1-0 home win in the Class 4A Southern Region semifinals.
“I got the ball, and all I’m thinking is, ‘This is it. Like, it’s now or never,’” Sligar said. “She’s a great keeper. Instead of just hitting at her and hitting at her every single time and her just winning it, instead of going far (post), I decided to go near post, and it went in and I couldn’t believe it.”
The goal kept the Bulldogs’ undefeated season alive. Centennial (20-0), the No. 1 seed from the Mountain League, will host Doral Academy (16-4-2), the No. 3 seed from the Desert League, for the region championship at 9 a.m. Saturday. Both teams advance to next week’s state tournament.
Sligar took the pass from forward Skyley Mecham near the top of the penalty box. She took a couple of dribbles, then slipped the left-footed shot inside the left post.
Centennial coach Manleo Miranda said it was fitting that his captain and leading scorer was the player to finish things.
“She’s been our leader and goal scorer the whole season, and today was no exception,” Miranda said. “She came through when we needed her most as the captain and true leader that she is.”
Centennial had beaten the Pioneers (13-5-2), the Mountain No. 3 seed, twice during the regular season, 8-0 on Aug. 26 and 3-0 on Sept. 25. This time, though, Canyon Springs was up to the task of staying with the Bulldogs.
“I can’t say enough of how much they’ve improved,” Miranda said. “Today, the Canyon Springs girls came in with a fire in them. They didn’t want to give anything up. So I’m just happy that we came out with the win.”
Sligar said that the Pioneers brought a different level of self-assurance to Wednesday’s game, and it took a bit for the Bulldogs to shake off the pressure Canyon Springs put on them.
“This time they came at it with so much confidence, and this time it had to be the pressure,” Sligar said. “We managed to take the pressure and anxiety and all that stuff and turn it into adrenaline and keep going and keep our heads up. But they came out so confident and ready to win.”
Centennial outshot Canyon Springs 19-8, but there were stretches where the Pioneers clearly controlled possession and seemed to be the more dangerous team.
That seemed to change in the final 10 minutes of regulation when the Bulldogs surged and saw at least five good scoring chances, including a soft header from Sligar with about a minute left that Hernandez easily controlled.
Though Centennial was unable to take advantage of that flurry, Sligar said it gave her confidence that the team was about to break through.
“At that point, when we just kept going at them and going at them, I just felt like we’re going to get one any minute now,” Sligar said. “Like, this is our game. We’re going to win this no matter how many chances it takes, no matter how long it takes. This is our game.”
Centennial goalkeeper Madelyn Hartman had five saves in the shutout. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 148-3 for the season.
Hernandez made 10 saves, and Miranda was glad his team was able to avoid a penalty kick shootout against the Canyon Springs keeper.
“Their keeper is maybe one of the best ones in the state,” Miranda said. “I think the girls knew her and knew that if they took us to PKs, they probably would turn (the outcome) the other way.”
No. 3D Doral Academy 2, No. 1D Foothill 1 (SO): At Foothill, Sanyi Thompson scored off a second-half assist from Gianna Davis, and the Dragons won a penalty kick shootout 4-2 to upset the Falcons (15-1-2). Goalkeeper Kenadie Mashore recorded the regulation shutout for Doral Academy.