By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
Four Shreveport-Bossier girls’ soccer teams contested LHSAA quarterfinal playoff games on Monday, with the locals going 2-2. Benton and Calvary both advanced to the semifinals, with Calvary pulling an upset on the road, but unfortunately Loyola and Caddo Magnet both fell just short.
The Bossier boys and Byrd girls have quarterfinal games this afternoon in Baton Rouge. The Bearkats play at University Lab and the Lady Yellow Jackets go to St. Joseph’s.
In Monday’s early game, Division I’s No. 5-seeded Benton Lady Tigers hosted 13th-seeded Northshore. Regulation was not enough to settle the outcome.
Northshore dominated the first half play, in both possession and opportunities. Ten minutes into the game, Northshore was able to capitalize on the possession, when the visitors sent a cross into the middle and cleanly finished the ball to take the 1-0 lead. The rest of the half went scoreless, with Northshore having many chances to add to the lead.
Benton started to get more comfortable with the ball in the second half. That paid off 10 minutes into the half, when Eden Whiteman hit a 35-yard free kick over the outstretched arms of the Lady Panthers keeper, tying the score at 1. Benton then took control of possession and the threats to goal, but regulation time ran out before any more goals were scored.
In the second overtime period, Benton was awarded a penalty kick, and Karsyn Best put the game-winner into the back of the net. Benton will find out late today whether it will travel to top seed Mt. Carmel or host eighth-seeded Southside in the semifinals.
Division III’s biggest surprise of the bracket came when ninth-seeded Calvary traveled to No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas, looking to repeat last year’s semifinals showing.
After a scoreless first half, the Lady Cavaliers got more comfortable with the flow of the game. Eerily similar to the Benton game, 10 minutes into the second half, Calvary had a corner kick taken by Elizabeth Lee that found a waiting Ryleigh Willcut, who put the only ball into the back of the net. Keeper Anna Sarkozi kept Calvary in the game with 16 saves.
The Lady Cavaliers will face either fourth-seeded Pope John Paul II or No. 5 Catholic-New Iberia in the semifinals.
Loyola, the third seed in Division III, hosted sixth-seeded Isadore Newman, in a rematch of last year’s final, won by Newman 7-0. This game would not play out so one-sided.
The game went scoreless through the 80 minutes of regulation and the first overtime period. There were streaks of dominance by both teams, but overall favoring Newman.
With four minutes left in the second overtime period, the Lady Greenies had a 1-v-1 that looked promising before Lady Flyers keeper Peyton Lewis came charging out and forced Lily Arjmand’s shot just wide. Loyola was not so lucky with the same confrontation less than three minutes remaining. This time Arjmad’s ball hit the back of the net. The Lady Flyers fell 1-0 in heartbreaking fashion.
In the last game of the day, Division II third-seed Caddo Magnet hosted sixth-seeded St. Thomas More at Lee Hedges Stadium. The first half was dominated by STM, as they peppered the goal time after time, but not breaking through. With just a couple minutes left in the first half, Isabella Baltov got the ball and did what she has done 173 other times in her high school career. She finished her career with a school and parish record 174 goals.
The Lady Mustangs came out in the second half confident, having the 1-0 lead. That lasted less than three minutes, as STM put two quick goals on the board and grabbed the lead for good. They added an insurance goal to complete a 3-1 victory.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net