By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
Each of the three locally-played LHSAA girls soccer playoff games Thursday night was played so evenly that any bounce, foul or shot could have flipped the result.
The edge went to Calvary Baptist at Jerry Barker Stadium, and to the Byrd Lady Jackets playing on their homefield, but didn’t lean the way of Captain Shreve.
The Byrd boys did not fare as well on the road against unbeaten Jesuit as second-round games concluded.
Along with Byrd and Calvary’s girls, seven local teams have reached next week’s state quarterfinals, headed by the top-ranked boys and girls squads from Loyola. Bossier’s boys, third seeded in their division, are in the mix, along with the Calvary boys and the No. 3 Benton girls.
Thursday night’s action locally had plenty of drama.
Division IV’s fifth-seeded Lady Cavaliers (now 15-4-3) hosted No. 12 Pope John Paul II (7-6-5) in a rematch of a 2-2 tie Nov. 23. These evenly-matched teams settled it in penalty kicks. The teams played to a scoreless tie in regulation, even though Calvary had the lion’s share of opportunities. Two 10-minute overtime periods were fruitless with no scoring.
That set up the dreaded two golden goal five-minute overtime periods, where the first goal wins. Neither team found the net, leading the contest to be decided in the most brutal way, by penalty kicks. After four attempts each the teams stood tied 3-3, before freshman Emma Sarkozi calmly put Calvary up 4-3. The victory was sealed when keeper Anna Sarkozi, Emma’s twin sister, made the save.
The Lady Cavaliers will travel to No. 4 St. Charles (15-5-4) on Monday or Tuesday.
In a Division I girls battle, No. 8 Captain Shreve (finishing 18-6-4) hosted No. 9 Fontainebleau (13-3-8) at Caddo Field, in what turned into the second overtime game of the night. The first half ended 0-0, with both teams having opportunities at goal.
Southeastern signee Alex Knight ripped two shots that took everything the Lady Bulldogs’ freshman keeper, Reagan McKinney, could offer to keep out the goal, getting a pair of saves for her highlight reel. Shreve defenders Ella Grace Davis (a McNeese signee), Riley Kenney and Hannah Clarke were able to stop most of the Lady Bulldog attacks or force shots from distance.
The second half started strong for the Lady Bulldogs. Three minutes in, senior forward Annalise Shidel scored the first goal. The score stayed that way for over 30 minutes, until Lady Gators junior Maddie Penwell hit a 20-yard shot over the head of McKinney to tie the game.
The first overtime period began as the second half did, with the visitors netting an early goal, this one by sophomore Maddie St. Cyr. The rest of OT was filled with Shreve pushing numbers up, desperately looking for the equalizer. Their best chance to score came in the last minute, with a free kick from 35 yards out. The ball bounced twice and was snared by McKinney. The final whistle blew moments later.
“It was a disappointing result, because it was such an evenly played match. We had our chances,” said Shreve coach Erik Lane. “I am so proud of all the things that our seniors have accomplished during their four years and I will miss them tremendously.”
On Line Avenue in another Division I girls contest, No. 2 seeded Byrd (now 19-3-5) landed in a dogfight they didn’t expect from No. 15 Dutchtown (7-8-3). The Lady Jackets needed 72 minutes to get on the scoreboard. Elizabeth Payne netted the game’s only goal, with an assist credited to Hallie Guerra. The Lady Jackets will host No. 10 Mandeville (20-7-4) early next week in a quarterfinal game.
In the last playoff game of Round 2, a boys Division I matchup in Metairie, the Byrd Yellow Jackets (13-6-3) fell Thursday evening 5-1 to No. 2 seed Jesuit (18-0-1). The Blue Jays are the reigning Division I champion.
Byrd needed to play a very strong defensive game but Jesuit got an early goal after kickoff and moved ahead 3-0 after 20 minutes. Jackets’ senior Ethan Oliver got the visitors on the board, and the visitors had some excellent chances on free kicks from senior co-captain Jackson Cooper and freshman Evan Delatte, and a header by senior co-captain Gordon Brown, but top-shelf saves by the Blue Jays’ keeper denied Byrd.
A second-half comeback was too much to ask against a very strong Jesuit squad. Byrd bunkered in, but the Jays were too good to overcome. Jackets’ coach Gary McCormick gave his seniors a fitting sendoff, putting all on the pitch in the closing minutes. Oliver, Cooper and Brown were joined by Hudson Bruce, Anderson Bryan, Will Little, Daniel Padron, Julian Mancilla and Brody Nguyen.
Along with quarterfinal pairings cited above for local teams, Round 3 matchups provide two more local games.
The Loyola boys (18-2-6) will face No. 9 Archbishop Shaw (15-4-2) in a Division III quarter. This game will be at Messmer Stadium and must be played by Tuesday night, per the LHSAA playoff calendar.
Bossier’s Bearkats (17-6-2) will host No. 6 St. Louis Catholic (9-7-4) on Tuesday evening at 6 in a Division III rematch. The Bearkats won a Dec. 21 meeting 1-0. Bossier also topped St. Louis in the 2023 state semifinals by the same score.
Calvary’s No. 13 ranked Cavaliers (14-10-1) look to continue their Cinderella run when they travel to fifth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas (10-6-3) in a Division IV boys game Monday at 3:30.
Loyola’s girls (20-4-3) will host No. 9 Northlake Christian (12-4-3) in a Division IV battle. The game has yet to be scheduled but will be played either Monday or Tuesday. The Lady Flyers topped Northlake Christian 2-0 on Nov. 23.
In a girls Division I quarterfinal, third-seeded Benton (20-3-3) will host No. 6 Lafayette (20-3-2) either Monday or Tuesday at Airline High School.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net