By Greg Hancock
After a thrilling win against No. 1 seed Pioneer on a Saturday afternoon two weekends ago, the Lady Lancers soccer team had to re-focus and get ready for its semi-final match against the Presentation Panthers (14-6-2) on Tuesday night, Feb. 21, at Valley Christian High School.
St. Francis (20-4-3) played a less-than-stellar first half that night, but was able to get its act together in the second half for a 2-0 victory, setting up an all-WCAL final game versus Archbishop Mitty on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Unfortunately for the Lancers, they lost to Mitty 2-1 in the Division II Championship Game. But it took an amazing run — and more than a little grit — to get them there.
That grit was not so evident early on in the game against Presentation, when the Lancers appeared to think they could win simply by showing up. There was little of the fire and determination of their previous two wins.
“I think we were playing frantically after playing an amazing game against Pioneer, and I think we came out anxious to win this game,” said St. Francis’ Erin Fleischli. “But once we settled down, we came out on top.”
The game was tied 0-0 at the half, thanks in part to a stingy Lancers defense that allowed only nine shots to reach goalkeeper Lindsay Dickerson. The defensive effort allowed St. Francis to regroup and realize they had better bear down against the Panthers.
Fleischli got the Lancers on the board in the 55th minute when she followed up on a rebound that deflected off Presentation goalkeeper Nina Butera.
“It was the right place at the right time,” says Fleischli. “Coach [Dawn Hill] told me to be there, and I was there.”
After the first goal, St. Francis loosened up and began to pass and make plays. In the 73rd minute, the team locked up the game when Sara Doyle made a pass at the top of the goal box to Elisa Phillips, who skillfully used her left foot to pound in a beautiful shot past Butera.
All four teams in this year’s semi-finals represented the WCAL. Earlier in the night, Archbishop Mitty easily defeated Notre Dame (Belmont) 6-1 to meet St. Francis in the finals.
Coach Hill said she was thrilled at how her team played as a collective unit, not relying on individual players to do the bulk of the work. This was especially true in the win against Pioneer, she said, explaining that “We played a great possession game and got everyone involved.”
The team wasn’t taking Presentation lightly, given their history together during league matches.
“We tied 0-0 and won 1-0 against [Presentation] during the season,” Hill said. “It has been a battle every time we’ve played.”
Following the game, an excited Lancers team laughed and enjoyed the moment.
“This is the best feeling I’ve ever felt!” said Fleischli.
In looking ahead to last Saturday’s final game, the Lancers knew they were in for a challenge: The Monarchs handled St. Francis with relative ease this year, compiling a 1-0-2 record against them.
That regular-season pattern carried over into the CCS championship. With St. Francis leading 1-0 with just minutes remaining, the Monarchs tied the game and eventually won in overtime 2-1.
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