GIRLS' SOCCER: Olympians, Eagles play to draw
Oct. 4—ORWIGSBURG — Shots were difficult to come by.
Goals, it turns out, were impossible.
In a battle of two Division I girls' soccer teams in the mix for a Schuylkill League playoff berth, Jim Thorpe and Blue Mountain wound up scoreless, a 0-0 deadlock, after 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime Monday night at the Eagles' Nest.
As a result, the Olympians (11-1-1, 7-1-1 D-I) remain just ahead of the Eagles (9-5-1, 7-2-1) in the division standings, alone in second place with both teams chasing first-place Pottsville (9-3-2, 8-1). Jim Thorpe has three league games remaining, on the road against Lehighton and North Schuylkill and at home against Pottsville, while Blue Mountain has two, one on the road at North Schuylkill and at home against Lehighton.
"Very close game, it always is," Blue Mountain coach Adam Freeman said. "Second half we had so many chances, we pinned them in.
"The team played fantastic in the second half and the overtime. Frustrating we didn't get it, but very proud of the way they played."
Both teams had opportunities, but shot attempts frequently sailed wide or over the top. When either team did manage to put one on frame, the keepers were outstanding.
Jim Thorpe put four on goal for the game, with the Eagles' Cala Armenise stopping each. Blue Mountain, with the Olympians playing in a very defensive posture throughout the second half and overtime, put nine on the frame with Olivia Rosenberger stopping each one.
"It was exactly what I expected," Jim Thorpe coach Tom Condly said. "It's always a close one with them the last couple years. It's always been one-goal games.
"Both teams played great. We had two starters out, one got injured, Nicole Carroll, and couldn't play and one of our other kids couldn't play."
Freeman knew the position his team was in, chasing both the Olympians and Pottsville within the division and that dictated the way the Eagles' offense applied pressure.
"That's why we were pushing on," Freeman said. "We knew we had to win.
"We had a lot of good chances but they just didn't quite fall our way. Sometimes it happens that way in soccer. We hit the post, we hit the back of somebody's head, hit the crossbar, the goalkeeper makes a great save. We could have had five goals in that overtime, but that's soccer."
Despite the slight edge over the Eagles in the division race, Condly knows his team can't afford to relax.
"The win would have been nice, but the tie, under the circumstances, we'll take it," Condly said. "It's a tough division.
"We have Lehighton next, so we're not counting anything. No gimmes, but it's not a loss. It was a hard-fought game."
Contact the writer: croth@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @repheraldsports on Twitter
