By HUNTER O. LYLE
CLEARFIELD, PA – Despite entering the District 9 Class 3A postseason as the underdogs for the first time in almost a decade, the Bradford girl’s soccer team proved their pedigree as they earned a spot in the championship game with a 2-0 shutout win over Clearfield.
Throughout the season, the Lady Owls struggled to find consistency, both on the field and on the roster. Battling constant injuries, their campaign took off to a rocky start. However, in the final weeks of the regular season, they managed to hit their stride at the perfect time, closing out their schedule with three consecutive wins to produce a 11-6 overall record. Having nine days off since that last win, the real focus entering the playoffs was preserving their momentum.
“We just kept on (the girls) at practice. We were working on the simple things like the small ball, the passing, the containing, the rondos, everything simple,” said Bradford head coach Jim Warnick. “We didn’t want to focus on anything fancy.”
From the initial tip, the Lady Owls felt the pressure. Starting with the ball, Bradford immediately saw a rush as the Lady Bison charged in and created a heavy blanket of man-to-man defense. Setting up an embargo at midfield, Clearfield shadowed every move the Lady Owls made, staying pinned to their hips and matching stride for stride.
Using their dual forward combination Evie Helsel and Mia Smith, as well as a web of crisp passing, the Lady Bison maintained possession for long stretches of clock while Bradford seldom found ways to break through. However, as the Lady Owls started to find their legs, they went to their star.
Sparking runs either with her own speed or by taking through-balls in perfect stride, Alyssa Mangold facilitated the offense. Striking deep cuts into enemy territory, she strong-armed Clearfield to double back on defense instead of leaning on the gas.
Magnold’s efforts produced the Lady Owls’ first shot of the day, which narrowly missed the mark in the 16th minute but which led to back-to-back corner kicks. On the second, Karissa Chamberlain crossed the shot to Mangold, who deflected the ball to Cami Sheely. Quickly settling the rebound, Sheely fired off an attempt into the back of the net, breaking the stalemate and putting Bradford in front.
From there, the Lady Owls surged. Playing with confidence, Bradford took control, boring holes into the Lady Bisons’ defense for repeated trips downfield and unleashing short bursts of shots on goal.
“We were trying to get the girls to recognize that there were a lot of openings and they were just sort of playing into (Clearfield’s) game. Once they started seeing that there were big lanes that they could pass to and make runs to, they started pulling them apart and took some of the pressure off the defense and the midfielders,” said Warnick. “We always say that we just have to get a goal. Something big has got to happen for them to get them to relax.”
Although Clearfield still managed to swarm the box and maneuver inside, no longer did they hold a firm grip on the momentum, as both teams traded blows back and forth without adding to their side of the scoreboard. However, in the final ten minutes, the Lady Bison ramped up the attack once again.
Maintaining long possessions without being sent back across the pitch, Clearfield was desperate to find the equalizer. While their efforts at the end of the first, which included a couple of last minute shots towards the net, came up empty, the charge would carry over into the second half.
Coming out of the break, the Lady Bison leaned on urgency and aggression. Bursting through the Lady Owls’ front lines, Clearfield quickly got downfield and released a shot within the first minute. They continuously found open paths towards the net, yet Bradford’s defenders managed to keep them just one pass away from a truly threatening shot. Clogging passing lanes, mobbing ballhandlers and coming away with timely, well-placed clears, Bradford held strong through a curtain of attackers. Then, they found a crack in the armor.
After facing a relentless attack for nearly 15 minutes, Bradford found a break in the action in the form of a free kick from Kierstin Taylor. Launching a high-arching pass downfield, her shot was met by a crashing Mangold. Receiving and settling the ball with a surprising amount of space around her, Mangold took just two steps before firing off a goal and giving her team a cushion on the scoreboard.
Having just over half the period left to salvage their season, the Lady Bison grew desperate. Rushed offense gave way to poor touches, bad crosses and miscommunications on the attack and while they had several good looks at the net through the final 20 minutes of play, Clearfield just couldn’t find an answer. As the clock wore on, Bradford’s defense barred down and locked the doors, preserving their win and their postseason.
Advancing in the Class 3A bracket, the Lady Owls look forward to a very familiar face: DuBois.
Over the majority of the last decade, Bradford and DuBois have met in almost every single championship match, with the Lady Owls usually taking that trophy home. However, that six-year trend ended last season, when the Lady Beavers snapped the streak with their first win in seven years. Now, Bradford looks to earn redemption and revenge, not to mention their spot back atop the throne in a championship game slated for Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Brockway.
“We’ve played (DuBois) twice so we know what to expect. We’ve got to go at them,” said Warnick, whose squad has yet to post a win over the Lady Beavers this season. “I think it’s a game the girls want so we’ll have to show up.”
