For most of the match Tuesday evening, it appeared the Fort Campbell Lady Falcons and the Caldwell County Lady Tigers were headed for overtime. Both teams’ defenses had been very solid, and what shots the offenses had managed to get off, were snagged by the goalies. And just about the time it appeared overtime was a foregone conclusion in this 2nd Region All A semifinal, the Lady Falcons came up with a little last minute magic on the “artificial” pitch at Fryar Stadium.
Sophomore Aria De Silva recovered her own deflected pass attempt and took the shot from 30 yards out, clearing the outstretched arms of Caldwell County goalie Karsyn Parker, and scoring the match’s only goal at the 78:00 mark to give Fort Campbell the 1-0 upset win over the Lady Tigers.
Defense had controlled the match much of the night, with both teams struggling to find offensive opportunities early. And when they did, the goalies, Parker and the Lady Falcons’ Angel Manalang, were able to slam the door.
Additionally, the defenders for both teams were able to do an outstanding job of turning the flow of play back in the other direction. The Lady Falcons got big minutes from Hannah Eastes and Lindsey Molinelli, while Caldwell County got stalwart defensive play from Abbey Hagan and Kelsie Adams. With Kaylee McEnaney out of the lineup for Caldwell County, Coach Rhett Miller shifted Adams up front for much of the second half in an effort to create more offensive opportunities.
The play of Manalang in goal for Fort Campbell turned out to be the difference, as she finished with ten saves on the night, at least three in the final two minutes that helped preserve the win for the Lady Falcons.
The win was the 5th in a row for Fort Campbell, which now improves to 6-2 on the season. Caldwell County drops to 3-4. The Lady Falcons will host UHA in the All A 2nd Region championship game Thursday evening.
