PREP GIRLS' SOCCER: American Hebrew shocks WCDS in OT

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 12, 2017 10:04 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Wayne Country Day's Jada Holloman sprinted from inside the 6-yard box and deflected a shot by American Hebrew's Alexa Leizorek.

The ball bounced over the end line.

Corner kick.

Julianne Schneider placed the ball and flicked a quick, short pass to Leizorek on the corner of the 18-yard box. Leizorek lofted a shot toward the back post that settled in the upper right 90 of the goal.

1-0 American Hebrew.

And ballgame.

Leizorek's game-deciding strike in the 94th minute of the second overtime propelled American Hebrew into the quarterfinals of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1-A girls' soccer playoffs.

"When the ball goes out of play and turn your back on where the ball is, it's going to cost you and it did today," WCDS head coach Steve Ellis said. "We restricted her (Leizorek) from about 35 yards until we turned our back on her and she's a very good player to be fair to her, great technical skills.

"She just looped one in."

With 14 seconds left in the second extra session, WCDS eighth-grader Ashton Gupton ripped a shot from midfield that got caught in the air. The ball barely cleared the crossbar.

The second-round affair resembled a football game. The seventh-seeded Chargers (11-4-1 overall) and Eagles constantly worked to gain possession between the 18-yard boxes. But once they got inside soccer's equivalent of the "red zone," neither could manufacture consistent strikes on frame.

WCDS had 10 shots, with seven turned away.

American Hebrew attempted six and Holloman stopped four -- all taken by Leizorek until the OT goal.

"Jala maybe had one good save," Ellis said.

The Chargers worked all afternoon without their leading scorer, Langley Barnes. An MRI revealed Barnes had a partially-torn meniscus in her left knee that occurred during the Kerr-Vance game.

Barnes was advised not to play. A complete tear would require extensive rehab that would force her to miss tennis and basketball next season.

She sat in street clothes on the bench beside Ellis, who refused to risk her health.

The trio of Hayden Nielsen, Ally Willman and Martie Rose pressured the American Hebrew goal on occasion. Willman assumed field general duties, moving the ball from the midfield down the sidelines as Nielsen -- the quickest player on the field -- and Rose gave her passing options.

WCDS just couldn't finish.

"Ally, Martie, Hayden ... they worked their rumps off, really," Ellis said. "Not having Langley is a big goal threat taken out. We definitely missed her today, but her health is more important than anything.

"We created a couple of opportunities, but I don't think anything stood out. Give her (Leizorek) credit. She needed one shot to win."