Bulldogs seize command of Carolina 1A girls' soccer lead

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 5, 2014 11:47 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- Princeton "Brushed" aside Carolina 1-A Conference archrival Rosewood on the soccer pitch on a warm, breezy Friday evening.

Jessica Brush delivered two second-half goals within a five-minute span during the Bulldogs' 3-1 triumph at the Fred Bartholomew Jr. Athletic Complex.

The victory assured Princeton (7-2-0 overall) of sole possession of the Carolina 1-A Conference lead (6-0-0) heading into second-half play next week.

"It's definitely a huge game," said Brush, who has 11 goals and eight assists (30 points) this season.

"Tonight is when everybody has to put on their cleats and come out ready to play because everybody is needed. We were pumped up about it, but I wasn't going to stress about it. I wasn't as nervous as I have been in the past."

Mckenzie Smale helped relieve the Bulldogs' jitters in the opening minute. The junior received a pass from sophomore Emily Woodward and fired a shot that rebounded back to her. It was Smale's third goal of the season and Woodward's fifth assist of the season.

Smale ripped another blast that just cleared the back post and Princeton led 1-0 with less than minute erased off of the clock.

Rosewood (6-2-3, 5-1-0) threatened six minutes later when sophomore Lexi Mercer sent a beautiful right-footed cross into the box. The ball skipped behind a Princeton defender and teammate Maria Santibanez slid, but couldn't get a cleat on it at the back post.

The Eagles didn't experience another quality scoring chance for the next 60-plus minutes. The Bulldogs controlled possession, but couldn't consistently connect passes through a bunched-up midfield.

Princeton led 1-0 at intermission.

"The first half, Rosewood did a really good job man-marking us and we noticed that," first-year PHS head coach and Barton alum Morgan Brush said.

"We moved some people around and had a different dynamic in the second half. That's why it worked out so well for us."

Especially for Jessica.

The youngest of three girls in the family, Brush hooked up with sophomore Amber Johnson for goals in the 57th and 62nd minutes. The two left-footed strikes gave Princeton a commanding 3-0 lead against a frustrated Rosewood defense that missed two key starters.

"The first one, I really wasn't sure it was going in but it had a little umph on the end and kind of went through her (keeper Patrice Robertson's) hands," a smiling Brush said. "The second one, it felt good and I just knew it was going in."

Rosewood misfired on two scoring possessions during the first five minutes of the second half. The Eagles denied the Bulldogs' shutout bid on Santibanez's goal in the 64th minute.

Princeton led 20-7 in shots and 5-2 in corners. Robertson recorded 11 saves, including eight in the second half between the pipes.

Hannah Horne had four stops for the Dogs.

"We lost our marks a couple of times, a few girls got in behind us and were able to get some good looks at the net," said RHS head coach Daniel Mitchell, whose team misfired on additional scoring chances in the 70th and 72nd minutes.

"Princeton has got some skill players. I thought effort-wise they out-played us a little bit tonight. We've got to learn on how to play hard, how to dig in and do a better job of winning some balls. We were on our back heel a lot tonight."