Poland overcomes United in district semis
Bulldogs advance to take on Cardinal Mooney in district finals on Thursday
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POLAND -- Poland wasted no time Monday night, going full steam ahead from the opening kickoff.
However, it took longer than the Bulldogs would have expected to break through. Yet, they did eventually and Poland was able to pull out a 3-0 win over No. 9 seed United in the Division III Akron 2 district semifinal.
"We tried to get out fast and hopefully we could put a couple in," said Bulldogs head coach Neil Huda. "We missed a couple early, but credit to (United). They were good defensively. They sat back on us."
Despite dominating possession of the ball, it took until the 20th minute for Poland to get on the board, when sophomore Ava Blinsky ripped a right-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box into the back of the net.
About five minutes later, senior Ariana Daniels scored on a loose ball breakaway. Her initial shot was saved by United goalkeeper Katie Dees, but she wasn't able to corral the rebound and it slipped past her and across the goal line.
"After we scored a couple, we dropped into more of a defensive formation for a little bit and then at the end, we went back to the attacking formation just to try and finish up and get another one on the board," Huda said.
One of United's only chances of the first half came in the 37th minute when a shot went across the face of the goal.
After not seeing much of the ball in the first half, the Golden Eagles (7-8-1) changed things up tactically in the second half.
"We changed up our formation a little bit and changed our personnel all throughout the field," said United head coach Sarah Hodgson. "We made some adjustments and the girls were willing to do that, they were able to do that and I thought we were able to play more in their half in the second half. Obviously not enough, but we made the switch and saw an improvement and it's all credit to the girls."
The move paid off, as United's midfield was able to keep the ball more between the boxes and was able to push forward more and control the ball in the opposing half.
"We went from more of a defensive compact to a more upper offensive mode -- just some changes to try to create more chances," Hodgson said.
United's best chance of the game came in the 70th minute. Kiley Hetherington beat Poland goalkeeper Leanne Williams to a loose ball, but was unable to put it into the empty net after the Bulldogs' centerbacks feverishly tracked back in time to deflect the ball out of play.
The save allowed Poland to keep the clean sheet.
"Our defensive staff, our centerbacks, are tremendous," Huda said. "I think some of the best players in the state. It's hard to get by them. They have speed and strength. Our backline has been tough to break this year and I give all the credit to them and the keeper back there."
The Bulldogs wrapped up the scoring in the 74th minute with a goal from sophomore Sophia Generalovich, which put the game away for good.
The loss wraps up the season for the Golden Eagles after a 7-8-1 campaign. Hodgson credited all the underclassmen who stepped up for her young team and hopes that this season's playoff run is something they can build off of next season.
"We had some upperclassmen who did their best to bring (the underclassmen) under their wing and make something new out of something," Hodgson said. "It was a new year. My message to them was they made it to this point and can we make it further next year? But I thank our seniors for their leadership this year."
Top-seeded Poland now advances to face No. 15 seed Cardinal Mooney in the Division III Akron 2 district final on Thursday at 6 p.m. Mooney defeated No. 8 seed Springfield on Monday to advance. The match will be played on a neutral site at South Range.
"I've seen them a couple times this year," Huda said. "I think it should be a good game. I think we match up pretty well with them, so we'll see. It'll be a good challenge for us."
nmadhavan@tribtoday.com