Briarcliff Romps to an Easy Win Over Croton in Playoff Opener
She scored three times in the first half.
By Monica D’Ippolito
The Briarcliff girls’ soccer team started its much anticipated playoff run early Saturday and certainly seemed up to the task, overpowering 15th-seeded Croton-Harmon 7-0 to convincingly move on to the next round of the Class B sectionals.
“I mean, obviously to get a win under your belt is important,” Bears coach Owen Scully said. “I think for us is to put the focus now on starting a little quicker, (but) fair play to Croton, they came out from the start and they wanted to give us a game.”
The first half was mainly played in the Tigers’ defensive third of the field. The second-seeded Bears did an excellent job of putting heavy pressure on the Tiger backline and after a few missed opportunities and key defensive clears, Briarcliff finally struck in the 16th minute.
After a scrum in the middle of the box, Carly Fanelli found the ball at her feet in front of the net and calmly knocked in the first goal of the game.
Fanelli scored two more times, in the 27th and 29th minute.
Her second goal was set up by teammate Kelsey Simpson taking the ball toward the end line and centering a pass to an open Fanelli, who then one-timed her shot past Croton keeper Meaghan Walsh.
“I was just able to read the passes and Kelsey was just passing great,” Fanelli said. “She was just doing really well.”
Two minutes later, Lexi Grasso played a ball to Fanelli, who then steadily handled the pass and booted home her third goal of the game.
“They were playing a high line and our midfielders and our other forwards were just great,” the sophomore forward added. “They always help me and everything, so I just have to give the credit to them.”
Briarcliff added two more goals before the first 40 minutes concluded. The first came from Amelia Leahy, who, off a corner, found a loose ball around the box and knocked in her team’s fourth goal and the next one was provided by Grasso a minute later, giving the Bears a commanding 5-0 lead heading into halftime.
“Very pleased,” Scully said about the win. “(We’ll try to) stay injury-free and keep moving forward. Expectations are high and I hope we can really put the best foot forward.”
Julia Duffy and Elizabeth Kreppel added goals in the 69th and 75th minute, respectively, to put the finishing touches on the 7-0 victory.
Briarcliff outshot the Tigers 25-3 and, though the score indicated otherwise, didn’t really capitalize on a number of scoring chances. The Bears were given 14 corners and three separate chances on indirect kicks within 30 yards.
“Again, fair play to Croton, they defended very well against the set pieces,” said Scully. “But it’s something you’ve got to take back to the practice field and address. We’ve got to do better on corner kicks, no question. I think just to be a little more fluid on the ball, a little quicker, being able to open up defenses and to be able to finish a little bit better. Things that teams work on all the time, but there were a lot of opportunities today early that we didn’t take, so got to work on it.”
The high playoff expectations for the Bears will continue to grow as they move on to the next round. Their next test comes against 10th-seeded Ardsley.
“We just work as a team, we have such a great bond that it’s easy to play together and I just love the team,” Fanelli said. “I think we’re going to do well. We hope for the best, obviously, (but) we have a lot riding on us and I think we can do it. We’re a great team.”
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