Moving forward
Kerr-Vance tops Crossroads Christian 2-1 to advance in the postseason
JOHN HOLT
JOHN HOLT HENDERSONDAILY DISPATCH —
In a win or go home scenario on Saturday morning, the Kerr-Vance Academy girls’ soccer team kept their season alive with a 2-1 victory over Crossroads Christian in the opening round of the NCISAA 1A playoffs.
Kerr-Vance hosted the match up as the tournament’s No. 8 seed while Crossroads was visiting and seeded ninth.
“I feel very fortunate to get to the second round,” Kerr-Vance head coach Amy Peralta said.
Saturday’s meeting marked the third between the pair of teams this year and Crossroads was aspiring for revenge after losing both regular season matchups in games where they had established early leads.
The Lady Colts came out ready once again in round three as Kyra Corrigan put Crossroads on the scoreboard first with a goal in the 14th minute of play. The lead wouldn’t last long, however, as Kerr-Vance freshman Riley Short responded less than three minutes later with a goal of her own.
“I didn’t think it was going to go in, but it did,” Short said of her score.
The teams would enter halftime tied at 1 with 40 minutes of soccer remaining.
“At halftime, the focus was on putting in another half like the first half,” Crossroads head coach Josh Bogle said. “I felt like we outplayed them for much of the first half. I think the first goal was lucky on their part.
“It was a little bit of a bad bounce.”
In the 50th minute, Kerr-Vance freshman Nicole Dunkley would connect on what wound up being the game-winner when she raced downfield and scored on a breakaway that slipped off Lady Colts goalkeeper Jordan Campbell’s hands.
Kerr-Vance continued its offensive attack following Dunkley’s goal, but more importantly saw its defense rise to the occasion whenever Crossroads threatened to knot the score late.
“Defensively, Kara Ayscue saved us a couple times,” Peralta said. “Holly (Steg) did a real nice job in the goal… Defensively, I thought we played well overall.
“All the defenders and goalkeeper was key for us.”
The outcome saw Kerr-Vance sweep its crosstown rivals in 2015. Yet in each of the three meetings, Kerr-Vance had to battle back from a deficit to win.
“We’re very close competitively,” Peralta said of the series with Crossroads.
Bogle feels his group competed against Kerr-Vance in each meeting, yet his team’s lack of experience was what hurt most.
“It always came down to little mistakes that a seasoned player probably wouldn’t make,” Bogle said. “I definitely don’t say that as a knock on my girls. It’s just a fact that they’ve played a lot less soccer than a majority of soccer players.”
Crossroads’ Corrigan described all three meetings with Kerr-Vance as close calls.
“I feel like if we would have got to the ball quicker and kept possession of it we would have won most all of them,” she said.
And as was the case during the two regular season meetings, Crossroads once again never seemed to have an answer for Short or Dunkley on Saturday. The two each finished with three goals in the three games against Crossroads this season.
“My dynamic duo,” Peralta said. “I love them. You can just look at them and tell that they have fun playing.
“One is happy for the other when one scores.”
With the win, Kerr-Vance advanced to the quarterfinals where they will visit undefeated No. 1 seed Halifax Academy on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Halifax defeated the Lady Spartans both times in the regular season, yet Dunkley said Tuesday is a new opportunity.
“We know what we did wrong those times,” Dunkley said.
Peralta said Halifax is the top seed with good reason, but hopes her group will play as loose as possible.
“The pressure’s not really on us,” Peralta said. “It’s not on us. The pressure is off.
“We just need to go out there and play the very best game we can put together.”
For Crossroads, their 2015 campaign ends with a 5-10 overall record in a season that turned out to be the best in the school’s soccer program history.
Kerr-Vance tops Crossroads Christian 2-1 to advance in the postseason
JOHN HOLT
JOHN HOLT HENDERSONDAILY DISPATCH —
In a win or go home scenario on Saturday morning, the Kerr-Vance Academy girls’ soccer team kept their season alive with a 2-1 victory over Crossroads Christian in the opening round of the NCISAA 1A playoffs.
Kerr-Vance hosted the match up as the tournament’s No. 8 seed while Crossroads was visiting and seeded ninth.
“I feel very fortunate to get to the second round,” Kerr-Vance head coach Amy Peralta said.
Saturday’s meeting marked the third between the pair of teams this year and Crossroads was aspiring for revenge after losing both regular season matchups in games where they had established early leads.
The Lady Colts came out ready once again in round three as Kyra Corrigan put Crossroads on the scoreboard first with a goal in the 14th minute of play. The lead wouldn’t last long, however, as Kerr-Vance freshman Riley Short responded less than three minutes later with a goal of her own.
“I didn’t think it was going to go in, but it did,” Short said of her score.
The teams would enter halftime tied at 1 with 40 minutes of soccer remaining.
“At halftime, the focus was on putting in another half like the first half,” Crossroads head coach Josh Bogle said. “I felt like we outplayed them for much of the first half. I think the first goal was lucky on their part.
“It was a little bit of a bad bounce.”
In the 50th minute, Kerr-Vance freshman Nicole Dunkley would connect on what wound up being the game-winner when she raced downfield and scored on a breakaway that slipped off Lady Colts goalkeeper Jordan Campbell’s hands.
Kerr-Vance continued its offensive attack following Dunkley’s goal, but more importantly saw its defense rise to the occasion whenever Crossroads threatened to knot the score late.
“Defensively, Kara Ayscue saved us a couple times,” Peralta said. “Holly (Steg) did a real nice job in the goal… Defensively, I thought we played well overall.
“All the defenders and goalkeeper was key for us.”
The outcome saw Kerr-Vance sweep its crosstown rivals in 2015. Yet in each of the three meetings, Kerr-Vance had to battle back from a deficit to win.
“We’re very close competitively,” Peralta said of the series with Crossroads.
Bogle feels his group competed against Kerr-Vance in each meeting, yet his team’s lack of experience was what hurt most.
“It always came down to little mistakes that a seasoned player probably wouldn’t make,” Bogle said. “I definitely don’t say that as a knock on my girls. It’s just a fact that they’ve played a lot less soccer than a majority of soccer players.”
Crossroads’ Corrigan described all three meetings with Kerr-Vance as close calls.
“I feel like if we would have got to the ball quicker and kept possession of it we would have won most all of them,” she said.
And as was the case during the two regular season meetings, Crossroads once again never seemed to have an answer for Short or Dunkley on Saturday. The two each finished with three goals in the three games against Crossroads this season.
“My dynamic duo,” Peralta said. “I love them. You can just look at them and tell that they have fun playing.
“One is happy for the other when one scores.”
With the win, Kerr-Vance advanced to the quarterfinals where they will visit undefeated No. 1 seed Halifax Academy on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Halifax defeated the Lady Spartans both times in the regular season, yet Dunkley said Tuesday is a new opportunity.
“We know what we did wrong those times,” Dunkley said.
Peralta said Halifax is the top seed with good reason, but hopes her group will play as loose as possible.
“The pressure’s not really on us,” Peralta said. “It’s not on us. The pressure is off.
“We just need to go out there and play the very best game we can put together.”
For Crossroads, their 2015 campaign ends with a 5-10 overall record in a season that turned out to be the best in the school’s soccer program history.
