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Bulldogs’ offense creates victory
Williams girls’ down Southern Lee in soccer playoffs
The best defense is a good offense, but for the Williams High School girls' soccer team, an unrelenting offense is the perfect defense.
The Bulldogs took a two-goal halftime lead and - thanks mainly in part to an inexhaustible offensive attack - allowed Southern Lee only one shot in the second half and tacked on two more goals to advance past the second round of the Class 3-A state playoffs with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night.
"We survived," Dennis Deutschle said. "We were a little concerned about this team ... they knew how to win so it always scares you."
Southern Lee racked up 19 victories this season, but quickly realized the kind of offense it was facing.
Four minutes into the game, Williams midfielder Noell McCain found space at the top of the 18-yard box and forward Helen Powell's soon-to-be assist found McCain in the open area.
The next Bulldogs' goal came when forward Caroline Cross's cross found Powell's foot.
Southern Lee's lone score came when the Cavaliers were able to break down multiple levels of the Williams defense.
Cavaliers forward Colleen Pisano was able to poke the ball away from Lindsay Ester and after a quick tic-tac-toe passing display with fellow forward Breanne Lutz, Pisano was able to get off Southern Lee's first shot of the game. Lutz put home the rebound but not before Williams goal keeper Tina Black made a diving save.
"This year we are calmer and we didn't really get down after they scored on us," Cross said.
Down by only one goal, Southern Lee (19-4) picked up the pace but five minutes later put itself farther behind.
Swinging down the right side of the field for the second time, Cross was able to play the ball to the top of the 6-yard box. From there it caromed off the head of a Southern Lee defender and into the back of the net, only seconds before the first half ended.
"You could really tell that they were upset but they were really aggressive and went after the ball harder than we did after that," Cross said.
A persistent Southern Lee was forced to fight from behind in the second half and committed 16 fouls. Williams (17-3-1) committed 13.
"Southern Lee got more aggressive in the second half, they had to score," Deutschle said. "They had to try to disrupt the flow of our offense. They played us hard, it's what you expect second round."
But instead of closing the gap, Southern Lee gave up two more goals. Cross scored her second goal of the game on a pass from forward Jen Bass and McCain scored her second on a penalty kick with 16 minutes to play.
"I already knew where I was going to put it," McCain said. "I was very confident."
Even with such a potent offense, Deutschle still believes in the age-old victory principle: "Offense wins games, defense wins championships."
