Ireland goal lifts South girls soccer past North for the first time since 2012

Oct. 7—Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South's girls soccer teams played to a draw during the regular season.

With the stakes much higher at the Class 3A Center Grove Sectional, what would separate the Patriots and Braves when it counted most on Thursday?

Not much as it turned out. However, there was a winner this time ... and it was the team that hadn't tasted victory in an intracity match since 2012.

Breena Ireland's goal with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left settled the sectional semifinal in the Braves favor as South earned a 2-1 victory in a tightly contested match.

"We just came into this game to put our everything out there," said Ireland.

"I believe this team did just that," she added as she wiped tears of joy from her face as she lived in the moment with her teammates

South coach Courtney Hubbard was there the last time the Braves beat the Patriots ... in a different capacity.

"I was on the team last time," Hubbard said. "I feel fantastic for them. The seniors deserved this and worked hard."

There was very little between the two sides. The Patriots had more possession and more shots, but South's defense absorbed the pressure and many of the shots North had were low-percentage chances outside the box.

"That was the story of our season. We created decent shots that could have been a whole lot better with more composure in the final third. That goes for every game," North coach Kyle Baker said.

"We spent a lot of time in the [attacking] area of the field. We have a lot of midfielders and backs and it shows. We want to play safe. We have a lot of the ball. You don't win this game just for having the ball. Having the ball 75% of the time doesn't get you a goal," Baker continued.

South took better advantage of the chances it had, even though North had a 22-5 advantage in shots. One goal was scored from a set piece and the winner was from open play on a counter-attack.

"North played super well, but we knew when we got the chances, we had to finish. We haven't done that all year, but tonight we did it. It's just crazy," Hubbard said.

The first half was as even as the regular season match would have suggested it should have been. Most of the action took place between the two 18-yard boxes. Shots on goal were a rumor, though North took more shots past the halfway point of the first half with a 6-1 edge with 11:10 left in the half.

That's when the Braves produced their first threat. From a corner kick, Claire Despasquale chipped in a shot from just outside the box. It hit the bar and into the hands of North goalkeeper Carah McKinney. Despasquale would be heard from again shortly afterwards.

With just over four minutes left in the first half, Despasquale won a free kick just outside the 18-yard area. Ireland took the free kick and her low shot ricocheted off North's Caroline Gauer and Becca Gore, who were in the Patriots' defensive wall.

McKinney could do nothing about the deflection as it settled in the bottom right corner to put South up 1-0.

If anything, the majority of the second half was even more cagey than the first half was. North took the first eight shots of the second half, but South goal keeper Josiah Killinger was only required to save three of them.

South didn't take a shot at all until Margo Mallory's effort midway through the half, though the Braves nearly had a second when a cross from the right side nearly deflected in off a North defender.

The Patriots' pressure finally paid off with 11:39 left in the match. From a corner kick, Gauer was bundled over in the penalty box for a penalty kick. Gauer took the penalty kick herself and she buried the spot kick to even the match.

North (8-5-4) nearly took the lead with 8:45 left as both Maya McNichols and Alyse Thompson had decent chances on goal.

South's winner came somewhat against the run of play. On a counter-attack, the ball eventually got to Rich on the right side. Her cross through the 18-yard area was perfect and found Ireland on the left side. She duly placed her shot to McKinney's right expertly to put the Braves up 2-1.

"I just hoped I wouldn't trip over my own feet. I just didn't hesitate. I went with my instinct and aimed low for the corner," Ireland said.

North wasn't done. The Patriots' frantic comeback effort in the final four minutes produced three shots, including a free kick with 8 seconds left from just outside the 18-yard box. South's wall blocked it and the Braves could celebrate a victory no South team had experienced in a decade.

South (8-5-4) faces Center Grove in the championship match on Saturday. The host Trojans knocked off Bloomington North 3-0 in the first semifinal of the day.

"We'll re-focus tomorrow. They'll enjoy this tonight. It will be a different strategy against Center Grove and we'll work on that [on Friday]," Hubbard said.

Terre Haute South;1;1;—;2

Terre Haute North;0;1;—;1

TH South goals — Breena Ireland (unassisted FK), 3:56 1H; Ireland (Mallory Rich), 4:44 2H.

TH North goals — Caroline Gauer (unassisted PK), 11:39 2H.

Saves — Josiah Killinger (THS) 7; Carah McKinney (THN) 1

Corners — THS 4, THN 4.

Shots (on goal) — THS 5 (2); THN 22 (8).

Next — TH South (8-5-4) plays Center Grove in the Class 3A Center Grove Sectional championship match at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Terre Haute North finished 8-5-4.