Willsboro wins dramatic Class D championship against Chazy
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Oct. 31—BEEKMANTOWN — When a team believes in itself, even when others may not, the internal confidence is all that matters.
That's how Willsboro approached its 2021 season, and the Warriors are now champions.
Jenna Ford scored two goals, and Abby Bruno made seven saves to help lead Willsboro to a 2-1 win over Chazy in the Section VII Class D girls soccer championship on Saturday.
With the game tied at 1-all, Ford's tally at the 28:18 mark of the second half off an assist from Bella Harrison turned out to be the game-winner for a squad that has had its doubters all season after playing in Division III of the Northern Soccer League.
"They are a very mentally tough group," Warriors coach Chris Ford said. "We had a conversation about the whole small school thing, and they knew people doubted us. They always believed in themselves. They are a very intelligent group of girls, and I am so proud of them."
Ava McAuliffe scored the lone goal for the Eagles who put the pressure on late.
McAuliffe nearly put Chazy ahead when she got in on a semi-breakaway with 30:30 to go in the second half, but Bruno dove out to her right and made an incredible save to keep the match even.
"I got a little worried when I saw her coming there, but you have to put the nerves aside," Bruno said. "We really wanted this, and there was no way that I was going to let that go. We all wanted to win so bad."
About 10 minutes later, the Eagles' Hailey Lauren hit the post and missed burying an equalizer.
That opportunity as well as a handful of other opportunities led to a chaotic finish, but Willsboro held on.
"The last 28 minutes after Jenna scored were the longest 28 minutes of my life," Chris Ford said. "I told them today before we left school that there was nobody who wanted to see them win more than me. I have been with this group and know how special they are."
After receiving a pass from McKinley Belzile, Jenna Ford put the Warriors on the board with 29:31 remaining in the first half, but that lead did not last long.
Just 25 seconds later, McAuliffe had a shot go off Kaili Bourdeau and into the back of the net to get Chazy right back in the game.
"It was a little scary there at the beginning," Jenna Ford said. "There's a little while there where we were scrambling, but we knew if we played our best game that we could do this."
Tess Blair stood tall in net for the Eagles with seven stops, which included some crucial saves to keep Chazy within striking distance in the second half.
Blair did a nice job on multiple occasions by coming off her line and taking away Willsboro scoring chances before they became too dangerous.
"We have not had a game like this ever for this team," Chris Ford said. "It was up and down like crazy. It was like a basketball game. Both teams left it all out there."
The Warriors advanced to play either Lisbon or Morristown of Section X in a NYSPHSAA regional semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, in Potsdam.
Willsboro will take the next two days off and get back to action on Tuesday, but for now, the Warriors will just enjoy the sectional title.
"You talk about three years ago, we were the little kids out on the field," Jenna Ford said. "We were losing a lot, but slowly and slowly, we started winning more games.
"Last time we played on this field, we lost 14-1. We came back out today and won a sectional championship. That's what's so crazy. We have worked so hard and will always remember this."
—
Willsboro 2, Chazy 1
CCRS 1 0 — 1
WICS 1 1 — 2
First half- 1, WICS, Ford (Belzile), 29:31. 2, CCRS, McAuliffe, 29:06.
Second half- 3, WICS, Ford (B. Harrison), 28:18.
Shots- Willsboro, 13-11.
Saves- Blair, CCRS, 7. Bruno, WICS, 7.
Email Joey LaFranca:
Twitter: @JoeyLaFranca
