First-year Bethlehem girls’ soccer coach Scott Geis drilled his team on penalty kicks non-stop, and that relentless practice just delivered them the Section 2 Class AA championship on Tuesday night. After 110 grueling minutes at Shaker High School saw them locked in a thrilling 1-1 draw with Ballston Spa, the Eagles punched their ticket to the state tournament by dominating the penalty shootout 4-2.
The Championship Fight: Braddock’s Willpower Shines
This wasn’t an easy win, not by a long shot. Ballston Spa came out firing, controlling much of the first half and snatching the lead 8:03 before halftime on a Haley Wiltsie goal. But Bethlehem, seeded No. 2, refused to fold. Four minutes into the second half, sophomore Maira Braddock delivered a solo effort that was pure grit. Collecting the ball 40 yards out, she charged down the left wing with a Ballston Spa defender glued to her hip. Braddock, showing incredible “pure will” as she put it, would not be dispossessed, coolly slipping a shot past Ballston Spa goalie Avery DiNallo into the side netting. Just like that, it was 1-1.
What a turnaround! The next 36 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods were an absolute rollercoaster of near-misses. June McCarthy even rattled one off the crossbar late in the first overtime, nearly ending it right there. Coach Geis admitted he felt like he lost ten years watching the chaos, going “up, down, and all over the place.” This one felt destined for a dramatic finish.
PK Drama: Unflappable Eagles Secure Their State Spot
All that practice for penalty kicks paid off in the most high-stakes moment imaginable. The momentum swung Bethlehem’s way immediately when junior goalie Kinley Logsdon, in her first-ever high school penalty shootout, made a diving save to deny Ballston Spa’s first shooter, Abby Werner. Logsdon, who’s been through PKs at the club level, knew the pressure. “I know I can deal with it,” she said, and man, did she ever prove it. Ballston Spa’s Charlotte Haskell then hit the post, leaving the door wide open.
Bethlehem’s shooters were absolutely ice cold under pressure. Maira Braddock, June McCarthy, Mallory Maycrink, and Elayna Shersky all stepped up and calmly converted their attempts. Braddock summed up their confidence perfectly: “As soon as I got it on frame, I knew we had it in the bag. We’ve done this so many times in practice. It felt the same.” For No. 5 seed Ballston Spa, led by legendary coach Tom Rogan, it was a brutal end. Rogan, who won nine sectional titles during his tenure at Bethlehem, expressed pride in his team’s run, but called losing in PKs “almost harder than losing, in a weird sort of way.” You just feel for them.
Bethlehem (10-4-4 overall) is now headed to the state tournament, and after a performance like that, who knows what they can achieve. They face the next challenge with the kind of composure and mental toughness that comes from relentless preparation.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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