Easily 30 yards in distance, Eva Capozza’s spectacular 72nd-minute free kick launched over a small wall of Bayfield players, with just enough carry on it to clear BHS goalkeeper McKenna Noonan’s hands but dip underneath the crossbar behind her – for all practical purposes ensured that visiting Salida would snap a three-match losing streak. Salida took the win 3-1 over Bayfield.
Bayfield fell to 3-1 overall with the loss while Salida improved to 3-3 with the win.
To the Lady Spartans, the senior’s morale-crusher Thursday afternoon served a more vital purpose.
“She’s been a captain of ours the last two years … but she’s been hurt,” explained SHS head coach Heidi Slaymaker. “This was her first game back – she probably wasn’t even supposed to play – so I was just giving her a little bit of time and she was feeling it. So it was pretty exciting, for her to hit that shot.”
The free kick was awarded when senior Julz Anch was fouled outside the Lady Wolverines’ 18-yard box. Capozza’s kick increased the guests’ lead to 3-0 and certainly took some of the sting out of Bayfield junior Sydney Rey’s shutout-preventing penalty kick in the 79th. After senior Preslie Wagner was slammed down from behind onto Wolverine Country Stadium’s grass while lining up a one-on-one chance against Salida keeper Trinity Bertolino, Rey, who’d clanged an earlier PK off the upper corner to Bertolino’s left, made no mistake against reserve goalie Ruby Bischoff.
Powered by Wagner, Bayfield pinned the Lady Spartans back in their defensive third for most of the opening 10 minutes, and SHS struggled to break out until the 15th when senior Hayden Bevington pushed a breakaway chance wide of Noonan’s net. Recognized by BHS head coach Scott Key as a must-stop threat, Bevington helped register the crucial first goal when she played a ball into space ahead of junior Izzy Hughes, who ran onto the ball in stride and completed the 25th-minute breakaway.
Anch then pierced BHS’ back line in the 32nd and doubled SHS’ lead to 2-0.
In the second minute of stoppage time just before intermission, Capozza nearly capitalized on a free kick awarded – after BHS senior Madison Mead deflected a ball with her hand – just inches outside Bayfield’s 18, but rocketed her shot high.
“Coming off the bus we were a little shaky there for the first 10, 15 minutes – which I guess is to be expected – but they rallied and kind of found their legs,” said Slaymaker. “Once they kind of figured out what our plan was to breakdown their back line, I think they had some confidence and knew how to do that.”
But even after Rey’s missed penalty kick beginning the last 10 minutes of regulation, the Lady Wolverines weren’t about to give up. Bertolino definitely did her part when it counted most, and made a dramatic sliding save in the 74th out near the edge of SHS’ 18 to her left on Bayfield senior Genesis Barrera.
