GIRLS' VARSITY ADVANCE TO IGC SEMIS WITH 5-1 WIN

The varsity girls’ soccer team played it's best game of the season beating an overmatched Chapel Hill team, 5-1, in the IGC quarterfinals Monday. After playing CHCH last week and winning,1-0, on a free kick from Heather Gates that beat the CHCH keeper, the girls knew that had something to prove. Considering that CHCH was outshot, 30-10, in the team’s prior meeting, Brimmer was determined to convert more goal attempts this contest. From the opening whistle, Brimmer displayed it’s dominance. In just the first 90 seconds of the game, Nicole Gates passed to Heather Gates who took the ball down the sideline and shot a rocket that hit the crossbar and bounced out. Chardon Brooks, came storming in to follow up the rebound and shoot it past the CHCH keeper. With precise passing, building from behind, and relentless pressure, the Gators put on a clinic. With 10 minutes left in the half, Becky Barlow, playing her best game of the season, threaded a pass to Nicole Gates in the center of the field, who passed the ball forward, in the air, to Kristin Gates who headed the ball to the CHCH goal. After their defender tried in vain to clear the ball, Kristin Gates followed her own header and fired a shot passed the keeper to make the score 2-0. Wasting no time, Brimmer mounted another attack, keeping the ball in the CHCH end of the field, and with one minute to go in the half, Heather Gates, taking the ball again down the right sideline past the CHCH defender, crossed the ball to Kristin Gates who was making a run from the back post. Kristin Gates got to the cross and one-touched it into the back of the CHCH goal to end the first half 3-0.

The second half started much like the first half with Brimmer's dominance showing on both sides of the ball. Five minutes into the second half, the Gators were awarded a free kick that Lauren Matteodo carved into the CHCH defense to Heather Gates. Heather Gates brought it out of the air, split two defenders on her pass to Chardon Brooks, who shot a rocket past the CHCH keeper to make the score 4-0. Again, not letting down for a moment, the Gators continued to mount attack after attack. With 30 minutes remaining in the game, Heather Gates received a pass from Jaye Giglio and proceeded to beat the defender down the right side. After cutting the ball in toward the 18, she made one more move to beat the sweeper and shot a laser into the back of the CHCH net to make the score 5-0. For the rest of the game, the girls played smart, working on their possession and tactical advances, while the defense continued to iron out the kinks in anticipation of an appearance in the IGC semifinals versus Waring. The game ended with a score of 5-1, as the Gators advance to face top seeded Waring.