By Rob Centorani

Staff Writer

JOHNSON CITY _ It almost resembled a half-court basketball game in the first half of Elmira Notre Dame’s 6-0 Section Four Class B first-round girls soccer victory Wednesday over Unatego.

The ball rarely made it onto the Crusaders’ side of the field once junior Mallory Lawes scored the first of her three goals, sparking a six-goal run that took up 27 minutes, 24 seconds of the first half.

Unatego’s Kelly Fernandez battles for a ball with Elmira Notre Dame’s Margie McKinery in Wednesday’s Section Four Class B first-round game at Johnson City’s Green Field. The Crusaders won, 6-0.

Lawes’ 18-yard shot from the top right of the penalty box that scored into upper left corner 11:24 into play started the run for eighth-seeded Elmira ND (15-5).

"We’re normally a very scrappy team," said Unatego coach Sue Herodes, whose ninth-seeded team finished the season at 11-5-1. "These girls all season have hustled and hustled and hustled, but when they scored the first goal, I really think we dropped our heads and had a hard time dealing with that."

The odd part was that END scored all six goals going into a stiff wind at Green Field, encountering little resistance from the tentative and indecisive Spartans.

"We had the wind in our face, so I told them to think more defensively at that point, but if we can score, take the opportunity," said END coach Steve Weber, whose team plays top-seeded Seton Catholic Central on Saturday. "We were playing the ball really quick. We moved the ball real well."

Ball movement was not an issue on Lawes’ first goal. She controlled a loose ball about 25 yards out in the middle, dribbled right to get past a Unatego defender before driving a high shot over Spartans goalie Gabi May’s head and just under the crossbar.

"I saw an open space, so I just booted it," said Lawes, who leads the Crusaders with 24 goals. "The momentum picked up a lot (after the first goal) and that helped out a lot."[an error occurred while processing this directive]

With 22:58 left in the first

See UNATEGO on Page 15

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half, Margie McKinery, a standout point guard for END’s Class C state championship basketball team, beat two Unatego defenders before lining a 16-yard shot that May deflected. The ball came out 5 yards, where Sarah DeRigge volleyed the rebound inside the near post to make it 2-0.

Three minutes later, Lawes skipped an 18-yarder under May to make it 3-0.

Jamie Post scored twice and Lawes once before the half ended to make it 6-0.

"We didn’t expect that at all," said Weber, whose team was ousted by Unatego, 1-0, in a sectional opener last season. "We hadn’t seen Unatego play this year, but I know they’re always strong on the defensive end. We’ve played them seems like every year for the past 20 years and it seems like every game has been a 1-0 game one way or the other."

To Unatego’s credit, it played much better in the second half. After being outshot, 13-1, in the first half, the Spartans held the Crusaders to three shots after halftime while taking two.

Unatego probably had the best scoring chance of the second half. Katya Harris dribbled the ball about 50 yards up the right sideline before crossing to Amy Lentz in the box. Lentz’s shot from 12 yard went over the goal with 32 minutes left.

Jessica Davis also had a good chance with 6 1/2 minutes left, but shot wide from the left side of the box.

"They at least came back didn’t let it continue the way it was going," Herodes said. "I have a lot of young girls and I have a lot of young girls who have never been here before. We let emotions get to us sometimes."

Elmira ND 6, Unatego 0

SECTION FOUR CLASS B FIRST ROUND

at Green Field, Johnson City

Unatego 0 0 _ 0

Elmira ND 6 0 _ 6

9-Unatego (10-5-1): None.

8-Elmira Notre Dame: Mallory Lawes 3-0, Sarah DeRigge 1-0, Margie McKinery 0-1, Jamie Post 2-1.

Shots-corner kicks: U 3-4; E 16-6.

Goalies: Gabi May (U) 4, Chelsea Dalton (U) 2; Kate Agan (E) 1, Tierney Sullivan (E) 0.

___

Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.