The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Late Hornet goal earns 1-1 draw
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 5, 2007
In both games of their young 2007 season, the Saline girls' soccer team has faced off with a team ranked in last season's year-end top 10. In both games, the Hornets have battled their way to a draw that had head coach Dave Tapping more than happy with his team's performance.
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The difference is that while the first game left the Hornets feeling good about themselves, the second left them, in Tapping's words, "disappointed."
Saline had taken a 1-0 lead through freshman Autumn Jacobs with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, but the visiting Redhawks equalized with only 2:15 left to force the draw.
"It's tough to lose a lead like that in the last two minutes," Tapping said. "It hurts. But once they've settled down and a day or two goes by, I think they'll see that they gave a strong, strong performance tonight.
Perhaps the single strongest performance of all belonged to Saline senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gilmore, who pulled off a string of superb saves in both halves to keep the game scoreless for 70 minutes — several after a nasty collision
"Mackenzie is the heart and soul of the team," Tapping said. "I've coached her for 11 years and she's the best goalkeeper I've seen. She knew this was a big game tonight and she was incredible."
The Hornets needed every bit of Gilmore's magic to stay even with Troy Athens as the Hawks put the home team on the back foot for much of the first half. An Athens header, following a corner, fell wide three minutes in. Another shot went narrowly wide with 28:30 to play in the half and, with 16 minutes remaining until halftime, Gilmore produced a double save to keep the game knotted at 0.
By this time, the Hornets had begun to find their legs and produced their first attacks on the Hawk goal. Saline earned a corner kick at the 12:30 mark of the first half and nearly had a breakthrough with 7:20 to play when Stephanie Burke broke free and crossed low for Jena Cooper. She was only a half-step behind Hawk goalie Amanda Martino in getting to the ball.
Saline continued the pressure as the second half began. A free-kick from just outside the box taken by Hornet midfielder Meredith Faas appeared headed for the top left-hand corner before being brilliantly saved by a leaping Martino.
Not to be outdone, Gilmore made a diving save low to her left with 27:30 to play and made another just five minutes later.
Cooper forced a throw-in deep in Hawk territory as the clock ticked under 10 minutes. The junior forward's long throw-in into the penalty box was headed down by Jacobs, who was first to react to the loose ball and volleyed it past Martino from close range for a sudden 1-0 Hornet lead.
"To take it on the half-volley like that showed a tremendous amount of poise for a freshman," Tapping said of the goal.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Hawks regrouped and forced the draw with a goal just seven minutes later. A free kick lofted into the box was cleared by the Hornet defense only to be sent back in and bundled home at the far post.
Despite the heartbreaking ending, Tapping had nothing but praise for his team's results against top-10 competition.
"To get two draws against teams like Stevenson and Troy Athens," that's huge," he said. "It should be very good for our confidence."
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