By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
KALAMAZOO – It all came down to shooting Wednesday afternoon in the Division 4 Regional Soccer Tournament at Kalamazoo Christian High School.
Brandywine, playing in its first ever regional match, managed just seven shots on goal in a 2-0 loss to Dansville.
"We just couldn't get our shots," Brandywine coach Evan Winkler said. "(Dansville) had a very quick offense. Every position on the field they were fast. We didn't make our decisions quick. They just took the ball and went the other way with it."
Dansville (14-2-1) scored a goal late in both halves to account for its scoring.
The Lady Bobcats (11-8-3) dominated the first five minutes of the match, but then seemed to struggle to mount any type of offensive pressure against the Aggies, who advance to Saturday's regional title game against defending state champion Kalamazoo Christian.
"It seems like the first five minutes of every game we've outplayed the other team this year," Winkler said. "Then we seem to have that big downfall and that happened to us tonight."
Despite a lack of scoring opportunities, the Lady Bobcats stayed within striking distance of Dansville, which finished with 12 shots on goal.
Brandywine standout goalkeeper Katie Smallwood was injured in the first half after a collision trying to make a save. Smallwood stayed in the game with a heavily taped hand and in the second half Winkler moved her up top and put Alexa Perry in the goal hoping to give his team a lift.
"They collided and the other girl tried to kick it and kicked her in the hand," Winkler said of Smallwood's injury. "We didn't really pull (Smallwood) out (of goal) because she was hurt. We just wanted to try get a little spark on offense. When we switched that it really gave us a huge spark."
Krista Mashak staked the Aggies to a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute off an assist from Kesley Effner.
The score stayed that way through the remainder of the first half and well into the second 40 minutes of play.
Mashak scored with 2:01 remaining in the match to complete the scoring.
The final 12-plus minutes of the match was played in a heavy rain, which ended about the same time as the match.
Smallwood and Perry combined to stop five shots, while Dansville keeper Emily Walker was credited with three saves.
Both teams have a bright future.
Dansville has just four seniors on its roster, as does Brandywine.
Only Smallwood and Jamie Zellmer were in the starting lineup against Dansville.
"It's been an honor coaching these girls," Winkler commented. "This is gives us a lot of enthusiasm going into next season. We won districts and we got some great players coming back for next year. It's looks pretty good for us."
Dansville…2
Brandywine…0
Halftime Score
Dansville 1, Brandywine 0
First Half
D – Krista Mashak 33rd minute (Kelsey Effner assist)
Second Half
D – Mashak 79th minute (Harley Pedigo assist)
Shots on Goal
Dansville 12, Brandywine 7.
Saves
Dansville – 3 (Emily Walker)
Brandywine – 5 (Katie Smallwood and Alexa Perry)
Records
Dansville 14-2-1, Brandywine 11-8-3