Rosewood-Princeton

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on May 6, 2010 1:45 PM

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PRINCETON -- Logan Bill went from injured and on the sidelines to hero.

Bill shook off a first-half injury and scored the eventual game-winning goal as Rosewood clinched a share of the Carolina 1-A Conference women's soccer championship with a 2-0 win at archrival Princeton on Wednesday night.

Bill collided with Bulldogs' keeper Amber Brush late in the first half and was in visible pain with a leg injury. Bill missed the remainder of the first half before lobbing a high-arching shot from inside the 18-yard box over Brush's head into the back of the net in the 59th minute.

The Eagles failed to convert on three corner kicks in the first half and held a 3-0 advantage in shots on goal in the opening 40 minutes.

"The last time we played them we couldn't score until overtime," said Rosewood head coach Eddie Maldonado. "This time I said, 'why don't we go ahead and just get it done in regulation. We're at their field. They know they've got to beat us to have a chance at a split conference championship.'

"They outworked us, we just happened to finish a couple of opportunities."

Princeton's lone quality scoring opportunity came in the 79 minute when Madison Parker found herself one-on-one inside the 18-yard box with Eagles' keeper Taylor Johnson. Johnson turned away Parker's shot to preserve Rosewood's 1-0 lead.

"It made for an exciting game because I knew we weren't going to let up until the final whistle regardless of score," said Bulldogs' head coach Tim Besel. "I knew we were going to keep pressuring and keep pressuring and keep pressuring until we couldn't anymore. That's all we could do."

Moments later, the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick after Princeton's Erin Schultze was whistled for a handball inside the 18-yard box. Gabrielle Cornman's PK sailed over Brush's head extending the lead to 2-0.

Rosewood's defense held the Bulldogs to just two shots on goal.

"I've got two seniors and two sophomores back there," said Maldonado. "They all play very well together. The defense is always really tight. I'm extremely proud of my defense and my goalie. Even when we struggle to score they always keep us in it."

The Eagles (9-4-0, 4-0-0 CC) can clinch the conference title outright when they play host to Goldsboro tonight. Rosewood travels to Goldsboro on Friday.

"My girls wanted to dump the cooler on me but I told them we're not done," said Maldonado. "It's one of those things that Princeton is such a big rivalry. When they beat us at our place last year they went nuts. We beat them here and they want to dump the cooler on my head. It's a huge rivalry and both teams want to win and want to fight."

Princeton (4-7-1, 3-2-0) entertains Spring Creek today.