The Bradford girls soccer team has garnered plenty of accolades in the three seasons since Warren Shaw took over as head coach, including three straight District 9 championships.
On Tuesday night at Parkway Field, however, the Lady Owls completed a feat they hadn’t achieved in recent memory — defeat the Warren Lady Dragons.
A sluggish start quickly turned into an offensive outburst for Bradford, which seized control of the game midway through the first half and never looked back en route to a 4-1 victory. This was the first meeting between the two programs since last year’s state playoff game, in which D10 champion Warren eliminated D9 Bradford, 2-1.
“It’s special for us to be able to come out here and (win),” Shaw said. “This is a win we wanted for sure, and we’re definitely going to be contacting some alumni tonight and make sure they know we got Warren for them.”
The teams traded early goals, as Bella Prince got the Lady Owls on the board when she cleaned up a play in front of the net six minutes in.
Maddi Cowburn had drawn Warren goalkeeper Alyssa Anderson out of the net before the ball found Prince at a tough angle on the right side of the 18-yard box. Prince composed herself before driving the ball into the mostly empty net, however, giving the Lady Owls a brief lead.
Warren’s Georgie Bickling answered with a goal eight minutes later, as she capitalized on the offensive pressure the Lady Dragons had created early in the game.
When Kelsea Austin took a pass from Cowburn, dribbled along the right hash and placed it between the keeper’s legs, however, she put Bradford ahead for good with eight minutes to play in the first half.
“We knew we’d have opportunities,” Shaw said. “We were trying to pop (the ball) over top because they were playing high and it was available in the first half. (Austin) started moving more horizontally, and once she did, it opened everything up. That’s where we were able to put some of those balls through.”
Cowburn scored on a penalty kick two minutes later, going to the top right corner of the net to beat a helpless Anderson. Abbie Nuzzo then scored on a PK midway through the second half, driving the ball just under the crossbar.
The Lady Owls had ample chances on net that were turned away by either Anderson or the frame of the net, but the way Bradford played in its defensive third, the shots that did find the back of the net were sufficient.
“We were very timid (early) and just didn’t play the way we can play,” Shaw said. “Then, we kind of settled into a rhythm and did what we do. The beginning was rough, but honestly, every player out here tonight stepped up and played a great game.”
Warren’s best second-half chance came midway through the period, when a Lady Dragon slipped behind Bradford’s back line, only to be denied by an out-stretched Paige Smith in goal. Smith finished with three saves.
“This is a big game,” Shaw said. “We don’t start fast, we kind of work our way into it, and once we do we start to play our game. We found feet, we found lanes and did the right things.”
Warren had established steady pressure in Bradford’s offensive zone early in the game. Once the pressure died out midway through the first half, however, it never really returned.
Shaw complimented the work of defensive midfielders Nuzzo and Emily Morgan, among others, who helped the Lady Owls’ back line control Warren’s attacking attempts.
“The sixes protected their center backs today,” Shaw said. “There was a period of 30 minutes where they couldn’t generate anything in the middle because our sixes controlled the pace, as well as our 10. It was a nice effort because it starts there.”
Behind them, Lauren Placer and Elie Kane helped anchor Bradford’s defensive unit from the middle of the pitch, keeping the Lady Dragons largely out of the danger zone.
“That back line is all about staying compact and keeping our shape, and when they did that, there was no threat,” Shaw said.
The Lady Owls will return home Thursday to host Erie High.
