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Two years ago the Canaan Eagles ended the Hornets post season when a catch and a step back into the box by Hornet goalie Scottie Taylor gave the Eagles the win. Well Tuesday in Rochester saw Rockette tender Jody Martin swat the ball down and then take a similar back-step costing #1 seeded Rochester the game. What looked to be a stop and a save turned out to be the winning goal as the Hornets upset the top seed with a 1-zip shut-out victory. With the win Whitcomb advances to the state championship finals this weekend. Lethargic would be a good description of the way both the #5 seeded Hornets and #1 Rochester appeared to be playing through the first 80 minutes of play in semi-final action, although both teams did show some moments of clarity. With 50/50 balls split between the two teams it was a game of stop-and-go with neither team having much control over their opponent. Whitcomb fullbacks Laurel Adams, Emily Wright and Tia McKenna did an outstanding job at stopping the forward approach of the Rockettes. McKenna was detrimental in forcing Rochester back on several occasions when it seemed Rochester was about to score. Freshman Mikayla Dieffenback stepped out of the comfort zone and challenged Rochester’s forward motion with some very nice stops and settles that allowed the Hornets time to regroup and set up their offensive drive. Chelsie Brown and Demi Aldrighetti were able to turn the ball back for the most part allowing Whitcomb to move into the strike zone. Rochester did appear to gain momentum as the second half wound down, but Whitcomb did not let up on their pursuit of the ball and managed to hold Rochester off. With no score after 80 minutes of regular time the game was forced into overtime. After two 10 minute overtime sessions the game went into eight-on-eight. One empty eight-on-eight and into the second it looked like penalty kicks were going to determine the outcome, but at about 7:21 in the Hornets struck gold. With Hornets Demi Aldrighetti and Mollly Taylor in sync Aldrighetti passed the ball to Molly Taylor who sent the ball in high on the left side and where Martin was just not able to make the stop. To the horror of Rochester and the delight of Whitcomb the game came to completion. Whitcomb had 22 shots and two corner kicks while Rochester had 34 shots and three corner kicks. Maggie Eddy was golden in the nets with 34 saves and Jody Martin had 21 saves. Whitcomb now stands at 13-4. Whitcomb will now face either the #3 seeded Black River Presidents or the #2 seeded Danville Indians. ____________ ____________ |
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