Poland 4, Eldred 0
The most lopsided game I've seen so deep into the state playoffs.
4-0 doesn't give the whoopin' justice. It had a little bit of a 1/8 sectional quarterfinal battle feel to it. However, they had both won their section... and a regional game after. The Tornadoes blew through TC3 and flexed on Eldred for 80 minutes.
The game started with an Eldred attack, and a handball 20 yards out gave Eldred a direct kick. The shot went wide left by around 5 feet. That shot, 35 seconds in, was the only shot they attempted all game. From that point on, Poland dominated. The best thing? It's not even the best I've seen them play this year. After starting to pepper Eldred GK Jenna Burns with shots, Poland broke through in the 9th minute, when Paige Sullivan took a pass from Mikayla Blumenstock and struck it home at the 31:17 mark. Just over 3 minutes later, Sullivan showed she didn't want her senior soccer season to end that day, putting another one through. This one, scored with 28:05 left in the half, was unassisted. The rout was on. It took a little while for Poland to make it 3-0, although they were continuing to put a shot up every 2 minutes on average. Blumenstock did the honors in the 33rd minute, when she took on 5 Eldred defenders and zig-zagged through them like cones in a dribbling drill and knocked it into the nylon. This was her 45th goal of the season, and increased her goal-scoring streak to 20 straight games. Poland went into the half up 3-0 while outshooting Eldred 21-1, forcing Burns to make 9 1st half saves. The only time Poland GK Courtney Green touched the ball was when she went to get one for their only 1st half goal kick.
The 2nd half started just as you'd expect - Poland scored. Sullivan delivered again, giving her a hat trick just over 43 minutes into the game. That goal made it the final, 4-0, with 36:41 left. Even without goals, Poland controlled the 2nd half while getting some fresh legs, 2nd stringers, youngins into the game. Eldred definitely picked up the physicality in the last 40 minutes.. that's putting it nicely. Looked like a team frustrated that decided to take it out on the team that was thoroughly whipping them harder than a kid when they get caught sneaking out. For the sake of the Tornadoes, the game couldn't get over quickly enough... although it did look like the thing that was keeping them interested in the game instead of going to straight autopilot was that extra hold, push, and shove. After relaxing on the shot attempts for a while, Poland did start peppering Burns again, definitely giving her a workout. In the first couple minutes, it was easy to tell it wouldn't be a question of 'who would win', more like 'by how much', and the winners showed why. The W put Poland in the state finals against Jasper-Troupsburg, another perennial powerhouse.
#ByTheNumbers - In a nutshell, Poland. Yeah. More lopsided than a teeter-totter with a fat kid and a toddler on it. Poland outshot Eldred 31-1. Let that marinate. They also had plenty of opportunities off the corner, attempting 13 to Eldred's 2. Poland's goalie duo of Green & Lil Lepper made a whole 0 saves. Jenna Burns made 14 big ones for Eldred - she was most certainly the Sect IX representative's bright spot on this day. Quick reactions saved a couple more from going on the board. Eldred had 13 goal kicks to Poland's 4, and Burns controlled the ball in non-save opportunities 7 more times, where Green never saw the ball and Lepper controlled it 3 times on Eldred balls that were played long with nowhere around. I'll say it again. In a nutshell, Poland.
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