CHESAPEAKE CITY — In a region playoff rematch from a year ago, Cambridge South-Dorchester clung to a three-goal lead in the fourth quarter as it aimed to advance to the region finals.
A goal from Bo Manor’s Dani Richardson pulled the Eagles within two in the final 90 seconds. A win off the ensuing draw by the Vikings allowed Cambridge to bleed the clock and secure its 12-10 victory.
“When I called that last timeout, I was just making sure that the girls knew that for some of them it could be their last game,” Cambridge head coach Marissa Harding said. “We were just hoping we were able to get that last possession and wanting it for them and working it around and taking our time to move the ball around and if it didn’t go our way we were just making sure we were locking in on defense and playing full-out pressure.”
Following a Cambridge South-Dorchester goal in the opening four minutes of the second half, Bo Manor cut into the Vikings’ deficit with back-to-back scores from Hallie Stansfield at the 8:08 and 7:31 marks of the third quarter. Stansfield recorded her third score of the frame in the last eight seconds, falling backwards as she looked for a chance in front of the net.
Bo Manor head coach Brian Triantafillos said Cambridge changed who took its draws in the second half. The switch allowed the Eagles to win the draw more consistently, which the Eagles used to generate more scoring opportunities. Bo Manor won five draws in the third frame.
“They had a different draw person, so we were able to control a little bit more of what we wanted to do on the draw,” Triantafillos said of his team’s play in the third quarter. “Being able to control that ball in the third quarter obviously allows us to have the ball on offense, which gives us more opportunities shooting on net.”
Cambridge took a 4-1 lead with 4:40 to play in the first quarter, before a score from Stansfield cut Bo Manor’s deficit to two by the end of the first. The Eagles rallied to start the second quarter with consecutive scores from Stansfield and Juli Arnold to tie things at four. The Vikings outscored Bo 3-1 over the next six minutes to regain a 7-5 advantage. After the Eagles pulled within one, the Vikings rattled off two more scores to hold a 9-6 lead at the half.
Stansfield led Bo Manor with six goals, while Richardson added three scores. The Eagles finished the season with an overall record of 3-9.
“She’s a pure athlete and because she is a pure athlete she was able to pick up the sport,” Triantafillos said of Stansfield’s play. “Last year she was our ‘crease queen’ because every time she shot the ball she would run through the crease. I don’t think she scored her first goal until the second to last or last game and then after that it’s just been lights out for her.”
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