BATH – When you get to the postseason, you can throw most everything out the window as far as team records and other season accolades are concerned. While only one win separated Lake Region and Morse, the Shipbuilders entered the Class B South high school girls soccer tournament the number six seed and played host to the 11th-seeded Lakers in a prelim match at McMann Field.
In the 67th minute, senior midfielder Neva Leavitt blasted a shot across the outstretched dive of Morse keeper Abby Sreden for the game’s only goal, as the Lakers advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over the Shipbuilders.
Lake Region (6-7-2) will play No. 3 York (10-3-1) on Wednesday. Morse finished the season at 6-7-2.
“It’s why you get to the playoffs, anything can happen,” Morse coach Branden Noltkamper said. “Someone has to go home.”
It appeared Morse may score early, putting pressure on the Lake Region backs early and often. Morse’s Emily Martin took several shots at the goal, nothing easy as she always had at least one defender on her. Some of her blistering shots either missed left, right or high. Others were stopped by Lakers keeper Madi Rock.
Backs Mae Winglass and Paige Faulkingham kept the Lakers from getting any clear shots, none on goal in the first half.
In the 22nd minute, Martin fired a a corner kick into the bunch of players in front of the net. When the ball kicked back out to Martin, the junior booted a shot that Rock turned away with a full extended dive to her left to keep Morse off the scoreboard.
“That may have been the best goalkeeper I’ve seen all year,” the Morse coach said. “You can’t take anything away from her effort tonight.”
“She’s played strong all year,” Lakers coach David Jaeger said. “When we’ve needed her, she’s stepped up, it’s all you can ask of a goalkeeper.”
Martin brought a gasp out of the crowd when she legged a ball that appeared to be headed right of the net, but the ball ended up hitting the post and bounced in front of the goal, where Rock grabbed it.
Rock made one more goal-saving stop late in the half when she continued to be Martin’s nemesis, making another outstretched dive to keep the game scoreless into the break.
Martin had all three Morse shots on goal in the opening half, while the Shipbuilders held a slight edge in corner kicks, 3-2.
Second frame
Only two minutes into the second frame, Lake Region was able to put its first shot on goal. In fact, the Lakers were able to test Sreden early on, putting two more shots on net over the first 20 minutes of the half, but the junior keeper made both stops. However, the Lakers were gaining momentum.
“It’s the same speech I’ve given them all season,” Jaeger said of his halftime talk. “The expectations have been set and they know what’s expected of them.”
With 13:34 on the clock, Leavitt’s cross off a Kenzie Siebert helper broke the scoreless tie.
“She’s been huge for us all year in that capacity, she’s scored most of our goals,” added Jaeger. “She’s definitely been our ‘go-to’ one, but it doesn’t matter who scores it, as long as it goes into the back of the net.”
“We work really well together,” Leavitt said of Siebert. “She finds the great passes and we connected on that one.”
“The goal we gave up kind of caught us off guard, we ended up panicking a bit,” Noltkamper said. “It’s not been a problem scoring this year, but it’s been something we sometimes struggle with. You can only play defense for so long before it breaks down.”
Morse appeared to have a shot at the equalizer with less than seven minutes remaining when Martin sent a cross in front of the net, but neither Julia Cliffe or Dory Kulis could get a piece of the ball, resulting in a goal kick for Lake Region.
Rock finished the game with fives saves, earning the shutout. Sreden turned away three second-half shots.
Despite the disappointing outcome, the Shipbuilders were pleased with where they have come from day one, and tipped their caps to the Lakers.
“Compared to preseason where we were at today is so amazing,” Winglass said. “Having a new coach and having a young team, everyone thought it was going to be a rebuilding year. To make it this far is awesome.
“This team this year was a really close group of girls, I’m going to miss playing soccer under the lights,” added the senior.
“They (Lake Region) work really really hard, they had a plan and executed,” Noltkamper said. “They caught us that one time we got a little unorganized in the back. They will do well with whoever they face next.”

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