Addy Berry seals game as Martinsville uses late effort against county rival Monrovia

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — Big time players make big time plays, and that was certainly the case Wednesday as Martinsville's girls soccer squad hosted Monrovia in a girls' soccer showdown.

For over six minutes, the Bulldogs had the Artesians on the ropes, aggressively trying to tie a game which saw Martinsville on top 4-2. With 6:40 left, Monrovia had a breakthrough as Nellie Standeford kicked one in the back of the net to make it 4-3.

Two minutes later, Martinsville's Addy Berry, heavily guarded, rushed down left field on a fast break.

Goal.

The score, which came with four minutes to go, served as a dagger that resulted in a 5-3 win for the Artesians.

More:Coach Willy Spina invigorates Martinsville's boys' soccer program by teaching life lessons

"It's a good win, we've got to build off it," Martinsville coach Jason Dilbone said. "I'm proud of the girls and the way they fought back. I've been telling them all week; this isn't the old Monrovia. This is a good team. I knew it was going to be a battle."

As for Monrovia, they also knew it'd be a competitive game heading into it. All things considered; head coach Betsy McCrary was satisfied with her team's effort.

"We knew today was going to be a competitive game," McCrary said. "We were excited. The girls were ready. I think we came out as prepared as we could be. They're a very skilled team and we knew that coming into the game. They have been for a very long time. We're very eager for sectionals."

Key plays

Outside of Berry and Standeford's goals, one of the game's key plays came less than seven minutes into the second half. The Artesians and Bulldogs found each other knotted up 2-2 at halftime, so both sides were working to gain the advantage on the other.

It was Martinsville and Laura Barco who answered the call first. With 33:20 on the clock, the freshman took advantage of a clean look on the goal, her second of the day, to put Martinsville up 3-2. The score served as enough fuel until Olivia Phillips gave Martinsville's its fourth point with 14:20 left in the game.

More:IHSAA Soccer: Sectional pairings unveiled, where are local teams playing?

Prior to the game, Barco had only scored two goals the entire season. She matched her season total in one game. Berry also finished with two.

"Laura's played really well," Dilbone said. "She runs cross country too, so when she's not here, it affects us. She's a very smart player, she plays hard. It was huge. All of our front line played hard today."

By the numbers

20 and 14. That's the number of goals Berry and Phillips finished the regular season with after the win over the Bulldogs. Having two dynamic scorers, instead of being forced to rely on one, has boosted the Artesians all season. More than that, Martinsville has proved over its last few games it can get things done with multiple players.

"I told the offense all night, if we could connect on 1-to-2-to-3 passes, they're going to be in trouble," Dilbone said. "We can't rely on Addy down the field (all the time). We're better when Olivia's involved, and Ashlyn's involved, and Laura's involved. When we connect from the middle to Addy, we're a lot better team. We saw that some tonight."

More:Insider: Spotlight shines on area quarterbacks, plus just how high can Martinsville climb?

For Monrovia, it was less about the game's numbers and more about the lack of one — No. 17. The Bulldogs' top scorer and shot creator, sophomore Emery Newlin, was held out of the game after suffering a minor injury Tuesday in a 11-0 win over Scecina.

That said, her absence was more of a precautionary measure. With sectionals approaching next week, the team didn't want to take any risks. Newlin's expected to be ready to go for the Bulldogs' sectional opener versus West Vigo.

What it means

While one team walked away with a loss on its column, but beyond the game, this one served as sort of a win for both. The Artesians picked up a quality win over a terrific Monrovia squad (12-2) to gain steam heading into next week's sectional with Bloomington North.

More:Martinsville uses big second half to topple 5A No. 1 Whiteland: 'We're here'

On the other side, the loss displayed the tremendous growth the Bulldogs' have had under the guidance of Betsy McCrary and her staff. This was as competitive as Monrovia's been with Martinsville since 2016, when the Bulldogs won 3-2. Prior to Wednesday, the Bulldogs had lost the last four meetings by a combined 22-2.

To come with two points of a great Martinsville team, one that's a class above the Bulldogs, while missing the lead scorer is quite impressive.

"It's a good feeling, relieving as a coach to know the girls can handle it," McCrary said. "I knew they could do it. We've got a strong freshman class who've started a lot of games. They've just got to get the confidence. They've got to believe in themselves."

Looking ahead

Martinsville travels to Center Grove Tuesday to play Bloomington North in the first round of sectionals. The Bulldogs will also be back in action Tuesday, traveling to Edgewood to play West Vigo.

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Late effort pushes Martinsville girls' soccer past Monrovia