James Island 1 at West Ashley 0
Region 7 play will finish at 6 wins and 2 losses for JI, Wando and West Ashley as a result of JI's one to zip victory tonight over WA at WA. Although a more even game than their first match of the year (won 2-0 by JI) the game followed a similar pattern with a slightly dominant JI team in the first half, producing a goal at about 22 minutes, I think, on a ball played in to a crowd in the box then cleared shallowly and lofted back in to a forward who pushed it past WA goalie Alecia Brothers. (Sorry I didn't get the name of the player.) WA's offense again seemed much less crisp than earlier in their season (ie. Stratford GA tournament and first match with Wando) with few if any shots on goal in the first 40 minutes. WA picked up the pace in the second half with some flashes of promise, but no balls in the net. (One nice WA chip from about 20 yards out appeared to sail into the net and brought the WA home crowd to their feet, only to be revealed as a ball just over the top bar which fell down onto the net from behind.)
A force to be reckoned with remains the back line for JI which did not misplay a single ball to my eye all night. I don't know if JI defender Chelsea Terry has attracted much D1 college attention (or even if she has an interest of playing at that level) but she is about as good as a defender can be. She plays smart, fast and strong and I've seen almost nobody go past her with a ball this season. (Kelly McGinty of Wando scored twice against JI last week on balls from 25 or so yards out, but found herself flat on the ground on hard clean slide tackles from Terry on two or three occasions when it appeared she might be looking at open net.) Lasseter, Ingles and Deden also played very well.
WA's defense was very credible, but the one goal lead by JI was never answered. West Ashley remains a team that seems to have lost its center more than just a bit in the last three weeks. Their coach, early in the season, was quoted in the News and Courrier as trying to construct a season that allowed these girls to peak at the right time. There's still time for this if the Wildcats want it badly enough and are willing to play hard enough throughout a full 80 minutes in each playoff game. The offense needs to play with more abandon, more athleticism, more speed and more desire.
The third and final act of HS soccer begins with the first round of playoffs next Monday and, in my opinion, one of these three Region 7 6 - 2 teams will walk onto the field in Columbia for the state final. Which team this will be will be decided by who wants it the most.
lpaf
