MARTIN CLEARY
It’s high school sports greatest selling point _ the frequency of miracle finishes.
The National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association varsity girls’ Tier 1 field hockey semifinals produced not one, but twice head-spinning upsets in Thursday’s doubleheader at the Nepean Sportsplex.
As a result, undefeated powerhouses John McCrae Bulldogs and Merivale Marauders are out, and Ashbury Colts and Nepean Knights are the survivors to settle Friday’s championship game on the Minto Sports Field at 3:45 p.m.
Ashbury and Nepean also will advance to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ championship Nov. 3-5 in Markham.
A little background first to set up the miraculous finishes.
McCrae, which as won five of the past six NCSSAA title and a bronze medal at the 2010 OFSAA championship, was 6-0 in the west conference regular season, 1-0 in the playoffs and scored a total of 36 goals and wasn’t scored upon.
Merivale also breezed through the west conference regular season at 6-0, won its first playoff match and had 29 goals for and zero against.
Somehow the two schools never met in the regular season.
Although favoured to reach the NCSSAA final, McCrae and Merivale were ousted in the semifinals, each losing 2-1 in overtime.
Nepean, which was the east conference pennant winner at 6-0 and 1-0 in the playoffs with a goals for-goals against record of 37-4, defeated Merivale. Ashbury, which was 5-1 on the regular season, 1-0 in the playoffs and 24-7 in goals for-goals against, turned aside McCrae.
Merivale looked like it was ready to take charge right from the beginning as the Marauders scored on their first possession. After Merivale controlled the opening five minutes, the game leveled out and the intensity increased. Nepean’s Tanya Motsi scored five minutes before halftime on a goalmouth scramble to even the match.
Both teams had reasonable chances in the second half, but the match would be decided in overtime.
Merivale pressed early in the extra frame and earned a short corner, but the Marauders couldn’t convert it. Nepean, however, charged down the field, was awarded a corner and German exchange student Lara Bucholski converted the shot into the winning goal.
“We forced Merivale out of its comfort zone by moving the ball well around the field,” Nepean head coach James Whiteside wrote in an email. “Their response was to rely increasingly on the long ball to their wingers, which we were able to control, and as a result they eventually tired.”
Nepean goalkeeper Jessica Porter was impressive throughout the game, making two outstanding game-saving stops, including one in overtime from the Merivale corner.
Whiteside also had words of praise for centre back Olivia Dodds, who controlled everything through the middle; midfielder Kelly Walsh, who also was dominant; and Bucholski, who managed the forwards in excellent fashion.
In the other game, Ashbury defeated McCrae for the first time in a decade and put two east conference teams into the NCSSAA final for the time in recent memory.
Isabel Kerrebjn scored both goals for Ashbury, which also were her first two goals of the season.
Ashbury tied the game with five minutes remaining in regulation.
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