Byron-Bergen junior Mia Gray received a pass from sophomore midfielder Riley Shallenberger and scored from 20 yards out in the 51st minute to give the second-seeded Bees a 1-0 victory over top-seed Kendall to win their fourth consecutive Class C Section V girls soccer title.
“Riley crossed it in, and I took my first touch,” said Gray, who leads Section V with 35 goals this season. “It was on my left foot and my left foot is usually pretty good. It wasn’t the best shot, but it had enough on it to go in.”
“My heart skipped a beat. I was like, ‘no way, that just went in,’ and the whole team was so happy, and it was a great feeling. They’re always sweet.”
Kendall sophomore Sophia Picardo had her direct kick sail high in the 26th minute and Gray saw her direct kick from 19 yards out land on top of the net in the 37th minute for the two best scoring chances in a defensive first half.
Early in the second half, Gray hit the crossbar from 25 yards out and, three minutes later, Picardo also hit the crossbar for Kendall with the rebound glancing off the post.
The Bees had a glorious opportunity midway through the second half when Shallenberger sprang senior Janessa Amesbury in alone, but Kendall junior goalkeeper Brooke Rodas broke out to make the save.
In the 59th minute, Eagles junior Alea Barrett found sophomore Madison Hults in the box on a breakaway, but Bees senior goalkeeper Natalie Prinzi came out to make a sprawling leg save.
After Gray staked the Bees to a 1-0 lead, the focus was on defense the rest of the way.
“It didn’t matter if we scored again, it just mattered that they didn’t score,” junior Grace DiQuattro said.
“Once we started to play feet, the backfield opened so much and then we can get the through-balls in and finish. It feels great; it feels amazing just to know that we did it as a team,” Gray said.
“I thought we were going to get one in the first ten minutes of the second half…all kinds of pressure,” said Byron-Bergen head coach Wayne Hill. “And let’s not forget the one that Kendall hit the post twice on, so the game could have gone the other way early.
“The latest one is always the greatest one. Last year there was external pressure…this year was internal pressure. It’s been sweet to watch. I always say I have the best seat in the house that I get to watch these girls every day.”
Byron-Bergen played Williamson in the Class C state qualifier.
