By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
Shreveport was guaranteed a girls soccer state championship finalist, and wound up with two.
Loyola survived an upset bid from nearby district rival Calvary in an LHSAA Division IV semifinal, while Byrd edged past Lafayette in a Division I semi just a few miles away on a cold and wet Friday night. Both games finished 1-0.
The No. 1 seeded Lady Flyers waited out a defensive-minded Lady Cavaliers team. The Lady Jackets won 1-0 for the third consecutive playoff game, prevailing over a talented Lafayette Lady Lions club.
Their state championship games in Hammond couldn’t be further apart on the calendar this week. Loyola plays Tuesday night at 7:30 and Byrd plays Saturday night at 7:30. All LHSAA soccer championship games are played at Strawberry Stadium on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University.
The No. 2 Lady Jackets (19-3-4) topped No. 6 Lafayette (21-4-2) in a lightning-delayed battle at Byrd High School. The first half went scoreless, with the Lady Jackets controlling most of the play, and dominating opportunities at goal. The visitors had a couple solid chances at goal, none more than from senior Haylan Chapman, when she hit a rocket just over the bar from 30 yards out.
As the second half began, a lightning strike caused a 30-minute delay to allow the weather cell to clear the area. This seemed to have no real impact in the game action, though. It continued with Byrd remaining in charge, but Lafayette getting chances.
With 13 minutes remaining, Byrd senior Khaela Roraback hit a free kick into the far corner from 25 yards out and providing the only goal.
The Lady Jackets return to the finals for the second year in a row. They will face No.4 Mt. Carmel (22-4-3) on Saturday night in Hammond.
These teams played to a 1-1 draw Jan. 17 on a neutral field at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette. There is playoff history between these teams over the last 10 years, with three one-goal wins and another victory by Mt. Carmel, including a 2016 state finals contest.
In the 2015 quarterfinals Mt. Carmel won 1-0 and two years later in the semifinals Mt. Carmel also won 1-0. In between, playing for the 2016 state championship, a last-minute goal handed Byrd a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat. In 2022 Mt. Carmel made it four in a row with a 2-0 decision in the round of 16.
No. 1 Loyola (22-4-3) beat fifth-seeded Calvary (16-6-3) 1-0 in the late game Friday night at Messmer. The Lady Cavaliers played a defensive strategy in hopes to keep the scoring low and maximize their chances to win via a counterattack.
This worked for almost 72 minutes, enduring double digit corner kicks and shots on target, Calvary freshman keeper Anna Sarkozi would be worthy of the “man of the match” award as she played her heart out, making save after save, never faltering.
On the 17th corner kick by Loyola, the ball was sent into a dangerous spot in front of goal, where it deflected off a Lady Cavalier into their own net — a brutal way to lose a playoff game.
Calvary did mount two very solid attacks in the last six minutes, but was unable to get the equalizer.
The Lady Flyers will compete for the Division IV championship Tuesday night at 7:30 against No. 2 Isidore Newman (16-3-3) in Hammond. The Lady Flyers were defeated by the Lady Greenies 1-0 in last year’s semifinals and last played in the state finals in 2022.
After the loss, Calvary coach Chris Lee maintained perspective.
“I am very proud of how our team bought into our philosophy early on into the season. They worked hard to get better every practice and every game. As we started to peak over the last few games, their grit and determination was on display for everyone to see.
“I’m sad for the seniors that we came up one game short from a trip to the state championship, but excited for the future of our young squad,” he said.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net