Hopewell scores late to edge Nottingham
HAMILTON >> Braylee Walters is tough enough and athletic enough that she could line up on defense for Dave Caldwell’s football team if she wanted to.
Good thing for John McGinley and the Hopewell Valley girls soccer team that she chose to anchor the defense as a goalkeeper instead.
The sophomore Walters made three saves early in the second half to help turn the momentum of a Central Group III quarterfinal against Nottingham, which the fifth-seeded Bulldogs eventually won, 2-1, on a late goal by Molly O’Brien on Friday afternoon.
“Braylee is a really good goalie and it was one of those times where (she) was just a little bit better a couple times,” McGinley said. “We’re lucky to have her. She’s a really tough kid. She could probably play football if she wanted to. She’s a great athlete.”
O’Brien tapped in the game-winner with 3:54 remaining to send Hopewell (16-5-1) to a semifinal against eighth-seeded Burlington Twp. on Tuesday at Ackerson Field. The Falcons stunned top-seeded Allentown, 1-0, in the quarterfinals.
“I’m excited and looking forward to having another home game, especially it being my last season,” said O’Brien, who has eight goals. “I thought the last game would have been my last home game, so I’m excited to be back on our field.”
They wouldn’t be there without Walters, who three times foiled
Gia Girman, the CVC’s top scorer, early in the second half to keep her team on level terms. The best one came with 29:42 remaining after Girman showed her explosiveness by blowing past four defenders only for Walters to deny her a 37th goal with a diving save.
“Braylee is awesome,” O’Brien said. “I think she is the heart of the team. We are so proud of her. It was super important for us because it got us fired up a little bit.”
From that point, the Bulldogs started putting the pressure on, which eventually led to O’Brien’s late winner after Emily DeNero got to the endline and Katie Baker kept the ball alive. When the rebound dropped to O’Brien, she tapped it in.
“We always say it’s going to be a grind,” O’Brien said. “You have to push to the last minute. I knew in my head and my mind that we would do it. It was a tough battle and Nottingham played a great game, but I thought we had it.”
The fourth-seeded Northstars (13-5) took a 1-0 lead with 8:45 left in the first half when Emily Midura arrived at the back post to knock in Girman’s cross. It was Midura’s 10th of the season.
Ivonne Vasquez put the wheels in motion by slipping in Girman, a combination that wreaked havoc on opponents all season.
“You got to win the ball,” McGinley said. “If we win the ball in the middle, (Gia) can’t get it. When we don’t win the ball, Gia and Ivonne get it and you see what happens.”
Hopewell was only behind for 3:25 before DeNero (eight goals) steered home an equalizer, pouncing on a rebound after Riley Finnegan forced a save from goalkeeper Sara Haas.
Nottingham, which played shorthanded all season injuries due to injuries and only had 12 available players on Friday, finishes with 13 wins, the program’s most since going 13-7 in 2004.
“The way they played today is how I would hope they would play in a state tournament game against Hopewell,” ‘Stars coach Christie Fink said. “I can’t ask for anything more.
“In preseason, if you told me we’d be playing this game right now and play the way we did, I wouldn’t have believed you. We took a lot of hits, especially early in the season. We lost the heart and soul of our team, Giuliana Pocino, with an ACL in preseason. The way we bounced back just showed how much heart the girls had.”
But Hopewell is the program synonymous with postseason success, and in what’s now a wide-open section, you wouldn’t bet against it.
“That was a gritty, tough goal,” McGinley said. “It wasn’t anything beautiful, but sometimes in games like this, that’s how you have to score. We have some talented players, but we’re not good enough to just rely on that. We have to outwork people, be a little bit tougher, a little bit more physical.” Hopewell (16-5-1) 1 1 — 2
Nottingham (13-5) 1 0 — 1
Goals: DeNero, O’Brien (HV). Midura (N); Assists: Finnegan, Baker (HV). Gi. Girman (N); Shots: 9 (HV). 6 (N); Saves: Walters 4 (HV). Haas 5 (N).