by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer
All it takes is one shot.
The defending Class 4A state champion Quince Orchard girls soccer team didn't have many good looks at goal in Thursday's West Region semifinal at No. 2 Blair. But the third-seeded Cougars made the best of it in a 1-0 win, clinching their fourth consecutive regional final appearance.
"We're so used to holding onto the ball for a good portion of the game and creating a lot of chances," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "Sometimes I get upset that we're not putting away the chances we have. It's nice to know we can capitalize when we have few chances."
Quince Orchard (12-2-0) will play 2004 state champion Whitman (10-4-0), a 3-0 winner over Sherwood, on Monday at 7 p.m. at Richard Montgomery. The game will be a rematch of the 2005 final, which the Vikings won on penalty kicks.
Finishing scoring chances is a common issue among high-school girls soccer teams. But Quince Orchard netted one when it really needed to.
Blair (14-2-0), in just its second region semifinal and looking for its first-ever regional final appearance, pressured the Cougars for the majority of Thursday's contest.
The Blazers outshot Quince Orchard 10-4. But the Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute on junior defender Emily D'Italia's third goal of 2008. Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour started the game-winning play, perfectly placing a free kick from about 30 yards out directly in front of the goal. Senior Lane Kurkjian got her head on it and deflected it to D'Italia, who buried it just inside the left post.
The Quince Orchard defense held and Blair was unable to convert any of its chances.
"We had some golden opportunities but just the run wasn't in the right spot, or something," Blair coach Bob Gibb said. "Somehow you've got to put the ball in the back of the net. They did and we didn't …
"In professional soccer, set pieces make for something like 50 percent of scoring. In high school maybe not as much, but it's very important. And getting that first goal is very important."
Thursday's win was Quince Orchard's seventh shutout this fall. This season was Blair's best-ever campaign; the Blazers defeated Wootton and Whitman for the first time in the program's history.
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