Closing in on a trip to state
Arrowhead gets past DSHA
TOWN OF MERTON The last time Arrowhead’s girls soccer team made the state tournament, roughly half of the current Warhawks still hadn’t been born.
That was back in 2000, and in the 17 years since, the postseason has been filled with mostly frustration for Arrowhead.
That all might be coming to an end, though.
Host Arrowhead defeated defending WIAA Division 1 state champion DSHA, 2-1, in a sectional semifinal Thursday. The second-seeded Warhawks advanced to a sectional final against top-seeded Brookfield Central Saturday at 3 p.m. at Sheboygan North High School.
Arrowhead sophomore forward Lauren McDonald notched the game-winner in the 67th minute.
“We’ve talked a lot about ending the drought,” said Arrowhead senior midfielder Libby Kredell, who scored the Warhawks’ opening goal. “We’re really motivated right now.”
Arrowhead coach Scott Asher said, “This team just has something the others haven’t.” And the Warhawks showed that against DSHA.
The Dashers, who entered the night with just one loss to a team from Wisconsin in the last two years, played every bit like the defending state champions they are. But Arrowhead was slightly better in both possession and finishing.
“That wasn’t a great soccer team we beat,” Asher said. “That was a phenomenal soccer team. How many games at state will be better than that one?”
The Warhawks struck first in the 27th minute when Kredell weaved her way through two Dashers defenders. Kredell went left, keeper Madi Daleiden took away the near post, so Kredell slotted the ball to the far post and gave Arrowhead a 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way until the 53rd minute when DSHA senior forward Emmalee Ramon beat goalkeeper Marisa Bova with a header in the box that tied the game, 1-1.
“I think that momentum shifted at that time,” DSHA coach Kevin Roethe said. “We had the ball in our attacking third and got behind them and created some chances.”
But it was the Warhawks who converted on their next great chance.
Arrowhead junior forward Teagan Richman played a ball from the right corner to the front left post for an anxiously awaiting McDonald. The Warhawks’ sophomore was stunned to find herself alone, and after quickly gathering the pass, McDonald hammered the eventual gamewinning goal into the left corner.
“I was like, “Oh my gosh,’ ” McDonald said. “We’ve been working really hard and I just knew we were going to get it.”
DSHA wouldn't go away, though.
Junior midfielder Megan Crevoiserat had a pair of shots on goal in the final 10 minutes — including a free kick from 25 yards out that appeared certain to connect. But Arrowhead’s Bova came up big on both attempts, and now the Warhawks will face Brookfield Central.