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Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008

Girls' soccer: Woodford County rolls past Boyle County

VERSAILLES — Bend it Like Beckham?

Woodford County's soccer girls do just fine when they Loop it Like Levi.

Brandi Levi scored a pair of wide-angle second-half goals to vault the Yellow Jackets to a 3-0 win over Boyle County in the Section 4 finals Wednesday night.

Taylor Kelly also scored for the 14th-ranked Jackets (18-6), who take an eight-match winning streak into next Wednesday's state semifinals at Georgetown, where they will meet Highlands.

"Amazing!," Levi said. "Senior year. And we're going to end this year with a win. And only one team gets to do that."

Lyndsay Vance was sensational in goal, making nine saves.

"It's amazing," Vance said of heading to Georgetown. "I can't wait to ride the bus again."

All of Woodford's losses have come to teams ranked seventh or higher, including a pair of one-goal losses to Highlands.

"I think it just goes to show you it prepares you for situations like this," Coach Dave McIver said of the killer schedule.

"Their keeper did a fantastic job tonight," said Brian Deem, coach of the No. 15 Rebels (21-2-1). "Honestly, we had three or four opportunities that I really thought were goals, and she played stellar. ... She kept us out of the back of the net."

After a scoreless half, Levi converted. A lead pass from Kelly sent Levi sprinting to the right edge of the penalty box. She got to the ball just a few steps from the end line to send a high looper into the net, just inside the far post.

"We go over and over and over (such shots in practice), but to really pull it off in the midst of this, that's God's doing," Levi said. "I was praying."

Boyle came back, Rebels with a cause.

Woodford prevailed with "our heart and determination," McIver said. "We were under a lot of pressure for a long time in that game."

Just over a minute after Levi's goal, a handball call gave a penalty kick to Boyle's Lauren Paynter. However, Vance made a diving save.

"She was kind of standing where I could read that she was going to my left, her right," Vance said. "As she took her step, I could really tell that she was going there, so I just went ahead (and committed)."

Vance later made a one-handed deflection of Kennedy Collier's shot with about 27 minutes left. Four minutes later, Vance punched a Paynter shot up and over the goal.

Levi made it 2-0 with 13:17 left, assisted by Stephanie Patterson. One-on-one with the goalie, Levi slipped the ball to her right, ran down the loose ball and poked it into an open net.

Taylor scored with 9:15 left.

Woodford had a pair of first-half goals wiped out by offsides calls.

But Boyle had the first big threat.

Paynter's free kick from just inside the 18 was deflected wide by Vance. The ensuing corner kick hit off the crossbar and caromed to Boyle's Megan Curry. Her shot also clanked off the post 10 minutes into the match.

A goal there "puts us up 1-0 at half, hopefully," Deem said. "I tell our kids sometimes you have to have a little bit of luck, too. The ball has to bounce the right way. But no luck intended for that (outcome). Hats off to Woodford. They did a fantastic job."

Woodford County 3, Boyle County 0

Goals — WC: Brandi Levi (2), Taylor Kelly. Goalkeepers — BC: Brooke Terrell; WC: Lyndsay Vance.

Records — BC: 21-2-1; WC: 18-6.