Bob Jones girl’s soccer team advances; season over for BJ boys and JC teams
Action from Saturday’s Bob Jones vs Grissom soccer game
MADISON- Saturday’s first round soccer game between Grissom and Bob Jones followed the same script as last year’s game; scoreless in regulation and decided by penalty kicks in a shootout.
Bob Jones won 1-0 as they went 6-for-6 in penalty kicks and goalkeeper Cassie Russell got the stop the Patriots needed on Grissom’s sixth kick.
“It feels great,” said Bob Jones coach Tony Schroeder. “We had a lot of girls sick before this game with the stomach flu that weren’t feeling well but they came out here and put that behind them and played their hearts out. That’s why we won.”
One storyline that played out during the day was the status of Bob Jones’ All-State forward Anna Gierow who was competing in the 6A, Section 4 State Qualifying Meet at James Clemens High School.
Gierow ran and won her first event, the 100 M Hurdles at 11:30 then stayed and ran and won the 300 M Hurdles at 12:30. She then made it to the soccer game and played the first half. She left at halftime to go back to the meet and run in the 4 x 400 relay.
Schroeder had to use a variety of combinations to fill Geirow’s position.
“We used Meredith Collum who plays forward and she helped us cover for Anna who went out at halftime,” Schroeder said. “Jackie Barnett also played a lot. She was one of our sick players and she would have to come out and get fluids and go back in. Kelsey Cleveland played the right side and she played a great game.”
Bob Jones needed and got key performances from the seniors. Keeper Cassie Russell, forward Hannah Snoddy, Chandler Austin, Jasmine Conklin, and others rarely came off the field. With the sun and the artificial turf, the temperature was close to 90 degrees.
The game was scoreless through regulation and two five minute overtime periods. Schroder sent out his top scorers for the shootout. One by one each made their kicks, mostly well place corner kicks. Chandler Austin, Hannah Snoddy, Lauren Steil, Isabell Stewart, and Julianna Coburn all connected. Grissom also went 5 for 5 to send the game to sudden death PK’s.
Freshman Hannah Ernst connected and goalkeeper Cassie Russell got the stop needed to claim the win.
“We have been working on it,” Schroeder said of penalty kicks. “We decided PK’s were something we knew we could get done because these games against Grissom and now Huntsville are always close. We’ve been working on them for almost two months now.”
Goalie Cassie Russell came up big. She also stopped two direct kicks Grissom got in the second half.
“It’s really intense, a lot of pressure on both the kicker and goalie,” Russell said of the PK’s.
The heat was an issue for all the players.
“I was just trying to stay cool anyway I could. I poured water on me to help. I just had to push through and so did the team,” said Russell.
The team now goes to Huntsville in a game scheduled for Tuesday night to face the team that has eliminated them from the playoffs the last two seasons.
In girl’s action Friday night, Huntsville ended James Clemens season with a 3-0 win over the Jets. In boy’s action Huntsville also defeated James Clemens 5-0 and Grissom defeated Bob Jones 2-1.
