Burnt Hills drops Camden, 3-1, in B regional
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. » You can’t for much more from your seniors in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association regional than Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake coach Kelly Vrooman got from attack Christina Pedone Sunday afternoon against Section III Class B champion Camden.
The senior answered Camden’s opening salvo within the first minute of the contest with her first goal of the contest, she then assisted on Sadie Mitchell’s eventual game-winner in the second half and then buried the insurance goal on a give-and-go from Caroline Muller for the 3-1 win to advance to the Final Four next weekend at Maine-Endwell High School.
“We just started out really slow and we know we made a mistake with that goal, but we turned it around right away,” Christina Pe-
done said. “We realized we had to step it up, it’s not going to be an easy game at all. They’re a great team, Camden is a great team, but we just knew we had to work hard and we had more heart in this game.”
Camden scored less than a minute into the regional at Brent T. Steuerwald Stadium on the Shenendehowa Campus, but the Spartan’s coach wasn’t worried.
“We had a new system coming into today and the girls adjusted well, we had some new starters out there and I think just to get the little wiggles out, I hate to say it, but get the nerves out, 1-0 in the first 30 second,” Kelly Vrooman said. “There were 59 minutes left I was feeling O.K about it at that point, we had a lot of time to get on the board.”
Pedone scored the tying goal with less than 10 minutes left in the first half on a penalty corner from an assist by senior Deirdre Rafferty.
Burnt Hills finished with 11 penalty corners in the contest and showed Camden a vast variety of formations Sunday.
“We have a lot of corners, more than 15 different corners that we practice, but we’re focusing on our main Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake junior Sydney Plemenik takes on a Camden defender Sunday aftenroon after the NYSPHSAA Class B regional at Shenenendehowa High School.
six and we work on those every single practice for 45 minutes, a lot of practicing,” Pedone said. “That was perfect that we could get those corners down, get goals off of them.”
Pedone assisted on junior defender Sadie Mitchell’s go-ahead goal with 11 minutes left to go in the game.
“It was a nice tip and I just finished it,” Sadie Mitchell said. “That’s the only way I’ve been scoring goals all season because I’m a defender.
Post on corners is how I just racked up my goals. I’ve been doing it all season, it was just right moment,
right placement.”
The goal put the Spartans in a position to advance to the Final Four for the third time under Vrooman.
“It felt huge, if felt like now we’[re here, now we got it,” Mitchell said. “It felt like we won the game at that point. We knew all the energy was up; all of the girls got pumped up from it. It was the right timing, just what we needed.”
Pedone then sealed the deal after senior Caroline Muller snatched the ball near midfield and dribbled on the Shen turf towards the goal for the 2-on-1 with
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right her teammate.
“Every single practice we have drills, give and goes, and it’s the perfect opportunity,” Pedone said. “We don’t even have to talk in this, we pass it off and we know exactly where to go.
“I was hoping that she had that shot off, I really was and I just followed through there just in case she didn’t have it. I couldn’t have done it without that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) throws a pass as Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey (97) pressures in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. Dallas won 28-17. perfect pass from her.”
Next up for Burnt Hills is Section I perennial powerhouse Lakeland the 11time NYSPHSAA champion that is going for its eighth consecutive state title 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at Section IV host MaineEndwell High School.
“I think we’re happy because we’re going to be facing Lakeland and we haven’t done that since our first sectional title with (Meg) Largo, my assistant coach who is with me now,” Vrooman said. “We lost that game 7-1.
“We went down and scouted them; there is no team like Lakeland. We’re going to work our butts off this week and I think more than anything the girls are going to enjoy what we’re doing and we’re just glad to be there.”