By Anthony Gadson
Pilot Sports

ARGOS - Only two combined goals were scored in the two semifinal girls soccer matches at the Argos Sectional last night, but those two goals were enough to send the Culver Girls Academy and Argos into the championship match at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

CGA 1, Bremen 0

CGA may have entered their semifinal match as favorites over the Bremen Lions, but with temperatures under 30 degrees and a wind consistently gusting over 20 miles per hour, favorites were blown out the window.

“The wind didn't give any team a favor,” Bremen coach Gregory Taylor said about the conditions at Eugene Snyder Field.

Once CGA coach Harry Canellakis realized what the climate would be, he knew it wouldn't take many goals to win.

“As soon as I heard the weather report, this is the type of game I thought would occur,” he said about the 1-0 victory.

“There is no such thing as a high-scoring game in these conditions,” he added. “You're lucky to get one.”

It was actually Bremen who had the first chance to draw blood when freshman Darcy Brenneman drew a penalty kick with 16:47 remaining in the first half. But with the wind howling directly to the east, it also took her ball with it, leaving the score knotted at 0-0.

When it appeared that the two teams would head into halftime in a 0-0 tie, CGA junior Emma Clark came up with a goal with only 1:37 left in the half.

“Emma Clark is a very classy player,” Canellakis said. “If anyone was going to rise above these conditions, she would have been it.”

CGA attempted eight more shots on goal in the second half, but the Bremen defense stepped up to each challenge, with sophomore goalkeeper Andrea Manges recording seven saves in the half and 12 in the match.

“We just told the girls that we needed to play a tough, defensive-minded game,” Taylor said. “It was - it was a nicely played game. I liked the play by both teams, they just snuck one in.”

“I'm very happy with their performance today,” Taylor added. “They never gave up, they played the entire game, we just have to capitalize on our chances.”

Canellakis was also impressed with Bremen's play, but with the conditions the way they were, the CGA offense was never able to capitalize on its top feature - the pass.

“It's difficult to get into our passing game with these wind conditions,” he said. “Soccer never wins in these conditions. You're never going to get a good soccer match when there are just freezing conditions.”

CULVER GIRLS ACADEMY 1, BREMEN 0
At Argos Sectional (Semifinals)
First Half
CGA - Emma Clark 39th minute.
Shots on Goal: CGA 14; Bremen 0.
Saves: CGA 0; Bremen 12 (Andrea Manges).
Fouls: CGA 8; Bremen 5.
Corner Kicks: CGA 10; Bremen 1.
Records: CGA 10-3-4; Bremen 8-9.

Argos 1, Plymouth 0

On Aug. 17, the Argos Dragons defeated the Plymouth Rockies 5-2, leading the Rockie team to look for redemption in the postseason. However, Argos responded to Plymouth's play last night, defeating the Rockies 1-0 in a tightly contested match.

“I have to give credit to the Plymouth team,” Argos coach Jon Alcorn said. “We played them early in the season, and we were up 5-0 at one time. They were missing some girls, but they were tough. We knew what they would do, Plymouth's a tough team. Coaches got them ready, and they came ready to play.”

Plymouth coach Curt Feece learned some things from the early season loss, and looked to correct them in the second match-up.

“When we first played them, we had five players out,” he said. “So, we just wanted to play our game, the same way we did on Tuesday (a 2-0 win over LaVille). Play hard, play a possession game with the ball.”

For the most part, Plymouth did that, but a rebounded putback by Argos freshman Staci O'Dell at the 27:28 mark in the second half was enough to advance her team into the finals.

Before getting her goal, O'Dell actually had a similar opportunity with 14:12 remaining in the first half, but a quick reaction by Plymouth's junior goalkeeper Lizzy Hoffer nullified the close-range attempt. Though she was able to stop that first half attempt, Hoffer couldn't save O'Dell's second half chance, as O'Dell had the opportunity after the ball bounced off Hoffer's knees from her previous save a split-second earlier. And O'Dell was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“We just told her to be down there and finish those balls,” Alcorn said about his instructions for the freshman. “That was her job. (We told her) ‘When we get a ball on one side, make sure you're in there and get those rebounds'.”

Even though she succeeded on her second chance, Alcorn would have liked to have seen her first attempt go in, along with some other Dragon shots.

“We had a couple good chances early in the first half, and just I wish the girls had put them away and let me relax a little bit,” Alcorn said.

Following the loss, Feece was sorry to see his seniors leave a soccer field for the final time.

“It was a hard fought game, played very evenly,” he said. “Argos was up for it, we were up for it. I wasn't disappointed in the way our girls played. I'm really disappointed for our seniors. I know they were wanting this pretty bad, and they deserved it.”

The Plymouth-Argos rivalry is a spirited one, showcased by the shirtless male fans, but also a respectful one. Following the match, girls from both sides could be seen congratulating each other while an extended, teary hug between players also took place.

“Plymouth and Argos is a rivalry, but there are cousins on both teams,” Alcorn said. “They really want to beat each other, but it's not disrespectful - it's hard working.”

Argos will now face CGA at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Argos to determine the Argos Sectional Champion.

ARGOS 1, PLYMOUTH 0
At Argos Sectional (Semifinals)
Second Half
A - Staci O'Dell (Jami Hooker) 57th minute.
Shots on Goal: Argos 13; Plymouth 5.
Saves: Argos 5 (Brooke Kimsey); Plymouth 8 (Lizzy Hoffer).
Fouls: Argos 12 (Yellow Cards - Reghan Dunham, Amberly O'Dell); Plymouth 16.
Corner Kicks: Argos 5; Plymouth 1.
Records: Argos 13-4-1; Plymouth 7-6-5.