Silverdale's Addie Chapman and Boyd Buchanan's Emma Grant chase a sideline-bound ball.
photo by M.A. Locke
Silverdale managed to eke out a home win against Boyd-Buchanan Tuesday night with a late goal to seal the 1-0 result. A tactical battle from the get-go, the game proved music to the ears of the serious soccer fanatic.
The game plan for the Boyd was clear from the first whistle—with Coach Scooter Armstrong screaming for his girls to keep their shape defensively. The Bucs responded, keeping an extremely tight 5-4-1 with a sole striker pressing up top. Their lines stayed solid through the first 40 and left little room for the Seahawks to create lethal chances.
Silverdale tried to bait Boyd out of its formation by playing the ball back to its three-woman back line and holding it there, but the Bucs were uninterested and remained disciplined.
Needing a new avenue to success, the Seahawks switched to stretching the field wide. Their 3-4-3 setup gave them plenty of wide options and forced Boyd to step to them—stretching its lines and creating pockets of space in between.
Despite this, Silverdale was unable to take full advantage of these pockets due to several well-timed tackles by the Bucs mixed with sluggish execution by the Seahawks.
The first half ended nil nil with questions being asked of both teams in the race to break the deadlock.
Silverdale responded in the second half with more direct play. Its midfielders started making runs into the box to add attacking support while its forwards started trying their luck from outside the 18 seeking to force the issue.
The best chance of the night came off one such attempt when Addie Chapman struck the underside of the cross bar and then watched as the ball found its way pitch side of the goal line in the subsequent bounce. The home fans stared in disbelief while the away fans resumed their regularly scheduled breathing pattern.
Boyd—growing in confidence due to the success of its tactics—approached the second half a bit more adventurously in attack. Still compact when on the back foot, the Bucs were more composed in transition and committed more girls forward when in possession.
This move opened up the game and offered the fans a more entertaining, end-to-end experience than the slow-tempoed slug-fest of the first.
With every push forward the Seahawks made, the Bucs returned balance with heroics of defense—led by senior Lily Daniel—and quick counter attacks.
As the game grew to a close a draw seemed inevitable and, it must be said, a more than fair result.
Fairness seldom offers the best entertainment though, as proven by the late drama of Tuesday night’s match.
With just seven minutes left to play Silverdale lofted in a ball for what seemed like the umpteenth time and a scrum ensued. This time, however, the ball took a fortuitous —or unfortunate depending on which side of the stands you were sitting on—bounce and landed at the feet of forward Abigail Witten who calmly poked it in for the long-awaited opener.
The home crowd went into a frenzy.
With so little time to respond, The Lady Bucs watched as their impressive away result quickly shifted into a heartbreaking defeat.
Silverdale travels to Notre Dame Thursday in hopes of continuing to build upon its impressive 2023 regular season resume of 10 wins and 2 losses. Boyd-Buchanan (6-3) will look to rebound next Tuesday at CSAS.
Game Summary:
Silverdale 0 1 – 1
Boyd-Buchanan 0 0 – 0
Goal Scorers:
Silverdale- Abigail Witten
Silverdale students watch a play.
photo by M.A. Locke