Bald Eagles battle to force OT; falls to Bulldogs

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: October 3, 2021

By Kenny Varner

WINGATE – There was just no quit in the Eagles vocabulary Saturday.

Despite falling 3-2 in an overtime thriller, the Bald Eagles girls’ soccer team proved that no matter the situation, they never give up.

Saturday the Lady Eagles trailed 2-1 going into the last four minutes of the game.

But after coming out of the half with a more agressive style of play, the Eagles got the shot they needed when Abby Hoover put in a blast to knot the game at two, forcing overtime.

But just minutes into the overtime period, Jersey Shore’s Aliyah Neece sent a blast that just skimmed the top of the goal area taking the win for the Bulldogs 3-2.

Jersey Shore led the shots on goal by a 9-5 margin.

But the Eagles led in corner attempts 6-4.

BEA goalie Mackenzie Vozniak finished with six saves.

“We sat back a little bit after we scored our first goal and Jersey Shore got a couple on us, but the girls fought back and never quit the whole second half,” said Bald Eagle Area coach Jared Moore. “Abby Hoover crashed the net and put in the game tying goal late in the 2nd half. This one was a heart breaker for sure.”

Things started off with both teams looking to get the first shot on goal.

The Eagles struck first when Heather Leskovansky notched an unassisted goal at 8:18, making it a 1-0 lead.

Jersey Shore found its way into the scorebook when Neece blasted a Penalty kick through at 20:25, tying the game.

Less than four minutes later, Neece found the net again , putting the Bulldogs ahead by one at 23:27 off the clock.

Going into the second half, the intensity grew on both sides of the ball as the Eagles decided to match the physical play the Jersey Shore was doing earlier in the contest.

After several runs and several attempts in the Bulldogs back field, the Eagles were able to tie the game back up on Hoover’s unassisted drive at 76:46, sending the game into an extra period.

But the comeback was quickly ended when Neece hit the overtime blast at 82:36.

BEA Record falls to 5-5 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain League.

Next game: vs PO 10/4.