Church sends Bristol to OT win over Rovers
Trending
BRISTOLVILLE -- Wednesday’s Division V tournament game between Bristol and Rootstown was the tale of an unstoppable force against an immovable object.
The Panthers' attack was relentless and Rootstown’s defense and goalkeeper were as solid as could be. Eighty minutes wasn’t enough to decide a victor, but Bristol senior Lauren Church broke the deadlock four minutes into overtime, finishing on a loose ball in front of the net, to end the game 1-0 in favor of the Panthers.
"It was kind of what we’ve been trying to hammer on most all day, was trying to get the ball out wide with that through ball, and then just crashing after the goalie bobbles it," Panthers coach Mike Armour said. "She had one I think in the second half right down here, and we just couldn’t crash it after it popped loose. It was good to see that they listened and they did what we needed them to do."
Rootstown’s defense was incredibly stout. It felt as if everything Bristol threw at them, the Rovers had an answer.
"They’re a good team," Armour said. "I don’t think that their seed was anywhere near where they actually are. I thought it was a very good defensive game. Lots of ball movement on both sides. We finally got a lucky bounce."
Bristol spent the last 20 minutes of regulation crashing the net repeatedly, and finally broke through. The players chased that bounce and got it.
"I think they were getting tired," Armour said. "They only had one sub there, and we just tried running them. You could tell they were starting to get tired. They had dropped back kind of into a defensive set for most of the second half. My assistant and I were talking about that, so we just told the girls, 'Keep hammering on it.'"
While they didn’t have to do as much as the Rootstown back line, when called upon, Bristol’s defense delivered. That’s been the story of the Panthers' season as they pick up their sixth shutout of the year.
“We’re doing a lot better with our passing and with ball movement, but our finishing’s been a little rough," Armour said. "We switched a couple things around, we’re trying out a couple of new things, and it’s paying off. I thought defense really stepped up today. We’ve really been hammering on defense, trying to get these shutouts, because if they can’t score, we’re in good shape."
The Panthers (12-5-1) will square off against 25th-seed Canton Central Catholic with a trip to the district title game on the line. The district semifinal is set for Tuesday in Bristolville.
A win sets Bristol up for a district championship matchup on Halloween.
"I love stretching the soccer season out," Armour said. "This is a great group of girls. I love every one of them, and I mean, I’m happy to spend another week with them."