Consol girls soccer team knocked out of playoffs
WACO -- Garland Sachse sophomore Natalie Calhoun did a hop and a skip and knocked a shot into the left side of the goal that gave the Lady Mustangs a 4-3 shootout win over A&M Consolidated in the Class 5A girls soccer regional quarterfinals Tuesday night.
Calhoun's shot held up as the game-winner when Sachse goalkeeper Bridget Esquivel deflected Katie Berlund's attempt wide of the goal at Waco ISD Stadium. Berlund was the ninth shooter for the Lady Tigers.
Sachse (22-3-1) will play the winner between The Woodlands and Klein Oak in the regional semifinals at Round Rock's Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex at 1 p.m. Friday.
Consol (19-6-2) played the last 14 hours and 23 seconds of its season without allowing a goal in regulation.
But it was the last 200 minutes in its playoff matches with Sachse that stung. Consol couldn't score in its 2010 area playoff match with Sachse and had the same thing happen in 2011 as the squads played to a 0-0 through regulation and overtime.
"Another shutout, a tie and another loss to Sachse," Consol head coach Stoney Pryor said. "I tell our players the first five shooters, and as we go another one deep I say 'you' and 'you.' I feel like I'm the Grim Reaper or something."
This time, though, Consol had chances to thwart the Reaper and beat Sachse in the pressure-filled tiebreaker. The Lady Tigers were in position to win three times thanks to Christina Salas stops in goal, but they could not convert the winning goal.
Consol's Morgan Anderson scored on the Lady Tigers' first attempt. Kalli Krivdo tied it at 2, and Lindsay Allen, the seventh shooter for the Lady Tigers, eased a shot into the right side of the goal to even the shootout at 3.
A high-pressure second-half Sachse attack finished when Salas knifed through traffic to take Candice Followwell's corner kick with 10 seconds left in regulation.
Sachse played without its leading goal-scorer Emily Wright because of her yellow-card suspension. The Lady Mustangs generated the better second-half chances, though.
Salas was busy much of the night, and her timing was impeccable on some tough plays, from stopping early long drives by Tayler O'Hayre to erasing angles on crossing attempts. Her best stop came against Jade Abarca, who got a step past Consol's defense on a run from the left wing.
Those were rare.
"Christina had to play hard and was very solid in the goal," Pryor said. "Morgan [Leigh] saved us several times. Blake [Martin] and the whole back line did a good job throughout the match."
Martin headed away two late Sachse crosses, and Chris Brantley repeatedly cleared the ball from the center.
Both teams had chances with free kicks late in the opening half. Consol's Mycah Miller chipped a shot toward the right side of the goal that sailed high, hitting the football post. Then in the final seconds, Sachse's Natalie Calhoun took a short pass and hit a shot from 22 yards, but it hit Consol's wall and fell harmlessly away from the goal.
In between, Krivdo nearly slipped in position to score, bouncing a ball off Sachse's Summer Saylor. Attempting to reach out to strike the ball, Krivdo could not connect, and goalkeeper Bridgett Esquivel crawled forward to cover it 15 yards from the goal.
First-half chances were limited but both teams missed opportunities. A long throw-in by the Lady Mustangs worked its way through to Sachse's Morgan Bradshaw, but her left-footed try was weak and to the right.
Shortly after that, a corner kick by Consol's Miller tipped off the hand of Esquivel, but no Lady Tiger player could strike the ball, which was finally cleared from near the goal line.