Home Local Sports Brandywine continues girls soccer success with win over St. Elizabeth

Brandywine continues girls soccer success with win over St. Elizabeth

2212
The Dialog/Mike Lang

BRANDYWINE HUNDRED – Brandywine and St. Elizabeth spent the greater part of the first half in the middle of the field in their nonconference girls soccer match on April 29. As the half wore on, however, the host Bulldogs picked up momentum, scoring twice in the final seven minutes on the way to a 4-0 shutout of the Vikings.

Neither team had a real opportunity in the first 15 minutes, but in the 16th, Brandywine’s Kiera Oppenheimer chipped a crossing pass just wide of the Vikings’ net. A shot by Grace Duch, who caught up to a through ball, went just wide in the 23rd. St. Elizabeth goalkeeper Kylee Bowen was handcuffed by a shot a few minutes later, but she recovered to make the save. The Vikings first good chance came in the 29th minute, but Bulldogs keeper Faith Stauffer won the 50-50 battle in the crease and knocked the ball away.

The Dialog/Mike Lang

The Bulldogs broke through in the 33rd. Aicha Kromah chased a ball down the left side, and Bowen came out to join the race. Kromah tipped the ball past the keeper, giving her nothing but open space, and she did not miss. Duch got her goal in the final two minutes of the half. She tracked down a loose ball and skipped it through the Vikings’ defenders. The ball trickled over the goal line to double the lead heading into the half.

Brandywine resumed its pressure as the second half opened. Bowen kept the Vikings close, picking up three saves in the first minute after the break. There was little Bowen could do in the 50th minute, however, as Rebeca Anzures got free in front of the net and popped a ball up out of the reach of the keeper and into the net.

Kromah finished the scoring with her second tally, which came in the 74th minute.

The Bulldogs outshot the Vikings 15-9, and had a 2-1 edge in corner kicks. Stauffer stopped all nine shots she faced as the team improved to 8-1-1 on the season. The Bulldogs play four of their final five games at home, with the next one on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against Christiana.

Bowen had 11 saves for St. Elizabeth. The Vikings (1-7) play at St. Mark’s on Thursday at 4 p.m., although St. Elizabeth will be the home team.