Saranac Lake edges out Blue Bombers soccer
LAKE PLACID — Saranac Lake sophomore Lizzie Harvey scored a goal in the final minutes as the Red Storm girls soccer team edged Lake Placid 2-1 on the Blue Bombers’ home field Monday afternoon.
The game-winning goal was set up on a cross-field pass from Maddison Moody-Durant with 1 minute, 15 seconds left in the contest.
“Moody-Durant has really provided us with some offensive speed and she really has played well the last two games,” Saranac Lake head coach Jason Wamsganz said. “She was frustrated that she missed the corners a few times tonight, but it’s going to click for her if she stays positive and keeps attacking.”
While the Red Storm outshot Lake Placid 23-13, Wamsganz said he thought his defense played really well on Monday.
“We made a few mistakes,” he said. “But overall, I was much more pleased with our aggressiveness and ability to step in front and help create more offense.”
Ellie Willet scored Saranac Lake’s first goal of the game on a pass from senior captain Samra Cirikovic, with 1:17 left in the first half.
“It was nice to see Ellie Willett get her first varsity goal and Lizzy Harvey get her first this season,” Wamsganz said. “Both girls worked hard for those goals and the play that set each goal up was really nice to watch.”
Trailing 1-0 after intermission, the Blue Bombers’ Nora Petrocci, an eighth-grader, scored after collecting a crossing pass from Kendra Levitt, also an eighth-grader, to even the game at 1-1 with 29:33 left in the game.
Despite a few quality chances from Lake Placid, which forced Saranac Lake’s goalkeeper Cora Hotchkiss to make some key stops, the Blue Bombers were unable to take a lead before allowing Harvey to score in the late stages.
Hotchkiss finished the game with five saves and the Blue Bombers’ goalie, Margaret Thatcher, had 12 stops.
“Cora has done a really nice job in the net and having two goaltenders that you feel confident in is definitely a plus,” Wamsganz said.
With the win, Saranac Lake improves to 1-3-1 while Lake Placid falls to 0-4-1. The Blue Bombers will look to pick up its first win of the season today at 4:30 p.m. against Seton Catholic on the road. The Red Storm are slated to host its next two contests, starting today against Moriah and on Friday against Northern Adirondack. Both games will start at 4:30 p.m.
“Moriah gives teams fits with their team speed and ability to finish and NAC moves the ball really well and puts pressure on defenses with their style and formation,” Wamsganz said. “I look forward to playing two of the best teams in our league, to see where we stack up. I am hopeful that we bring our best to those two opponents.”