Girls Surge to 12-1 Then Lose to Crossroads

Logan Darrow makes a save in Brentwood's 3-2 home victory over Bayless on May 3. (All photos by Steve Bowman) — Logan Darrow makes a save in Brentwood’s 5-1 home victory over Bayless on May 3. (All photos by Steve Bowman)

Rematch to decide league lead set for May 9

By Steve Bowman
Editor, The Brentwood Spirit
Email: bowmansj@sbcglobal.net

The Brentwood High School girls soccer team started its game with Crossroads on Friday with a 12-1 record, the best start in the history of the program, which is in its 19th season. That’s better than even the 2002 team, which after 13 games was 11-2.

As the game began, the Eagles had reasons to be confident. They had the home-field advantage. They were a game ahead of the Current in the South Central Athletic Association Conference. They had whipped their previous three opponents by a combined score of 16-1.

But perhaps Crossroads was hungrier. It repeatedly beat Brentwood to the ball, scored late in the first half and hung on to win 1-0.

Now locked in a tie for first place in the league, the teams are scheduled to play again at 4 p.m. today, May 9, at Midwest Soccer Academy. It will be BHS’s last league game. Crossroads is still scheduled to play Hancock.

Seniors (from left) Megan Shipley, Torri Brotherton, Abby Harper and Kate Gilmore stand with coach Cory Grage while receiving pregame instructions from referees before the Bayless game. The game was senior night for the Eagles.

Harper, Dorenbusch sparse in 2nd half

BHS was not at full strength. It had to play without starting forward Abby Harper for the entire second half, a scheduled absence. Grage replaced her with midfielder Maddie Dorenbusch. Aggressive, physical and one of the team’s top scorers, the freshman nearly broke through to score a couple of times. But after colliding with the Crossroads goalkeeper, Dorenbusch sat on the bench with an ice pack on her head for the final 25 minutes of the game.

“Maddie was making a lot of good runs but we lost her due to injury,” said Grage. “That just put us another forward down.”

But the biggest problem, Grage said, is that “We just weren’t mentally here. We weren’t mentally ready to play. We were beat to the ball all day. So we’re going to have to get ourselves into a different mindset.”

Abby Harper tries to dribble past two Bayless players.

Maddie Dorenbusch ices her forehead after colliding with the Crossroads goalkeeper. The injury caused Dorenbusch to miss the final 25 minutes of the game.

2016 vs. 2003

Freshmen make up almost half of Brentwood’s roster, which was also the case in 2003, when the team finished 16-3. Grage coached that team but now declines to compare the two.

“I’d probably be uncomfortable saying this has been my best freshman class,” he said. “Because in 2002, 2003, there were a couple of really good classes also. But certainly this has been the best freshman class in probably 10 years.”

“It’s a great season,” he added. “I don’t know if our competition this year has been as strong as in the past. Certainly I’m impressed with the young girls; it’s such a plus having girls who played together before high school and that have skill and are ready to go. But I think our nonconference schedule this year has not been nearly as tough as in the past.”

Cory Grage talks to his players before the Bayless game.

Beating Orchard Farm a high point

In other thoughts about the season so far, Grage said beating Orchard Farm was a high point and that the 8-1 score in the loss at O’Fallon Christian is misleading.

“The O’Fallon Christian game was a tough loss but we subbed pretty quickly in that game because we were expecting to play Crossroads in the next game, which ended up raining out,” he said. “So as soon as we got a couple of goals down we were subbing like crazy and the score got out of hand.”

Megan Shipley settles the ball. — Megan Shipley settles the ball in front of a Bayless player.

May 9 game
Midwest Soccer Academy is seven miles southeast of Brentwood, at 5247 Fyler Ave. Take Highway 40 east, Hampton Avenue South and Fyler Avenue east.

Kate Gilmore fights a Bayless player for the ball.

May 6: lost 1-0 vs. Crossroads
Brentwood: Logan Darrow, losing GK. Crossroads: Elizabeth Birth, 1 goal; Kieran Uhlamsiek, winning GK, 7 saves.

Torri Brotherton (left) goes toe to toe with a Crossroads player on May 6.

May 5: won 4-0 at University City
BHS led 3-0 at halftime. Brentwood: Maddie Dorenbusch, 2 goals, 1 assist; Amanda Ingersoll, 1 goal; Darrow, winning GK, 8 saves. University City: Fumilola Adewale, losing GK, 5 saves.

Aileen Frazier stays a half-step ahead of a Crossroads player.

May 3: won 5-1 vs. Bayless
The Eagles proved that their narrow (1-0) win at Bayless a month earlier was a fluke as they grabbed a 4-0 lead with 13 minutes still to play in the first half. The Broncos scored a few minutes later but Brentwood struck again within 17 seconds to spoil hopes of a comeback. Brentwood: Elle Curran, 2 goals; Harper, 1 goal, 1 assist; Dorenbusch, 1 goal, 1 assist; Maggie Callihan, 1 goal; Gilmore, 1 assist; Shipley, 1 assist; Ingersoll, 1 assist; Darrow, winning GK, 11 saves. Bayless: Lejla Sinanovic, 1 goal; Taylor Howell, 1 assist; Stephanie Mathes, losing GK, 8 saves.

Amanda Ingersoll reacts to a compliment from a coach on the sideline. — Amanda Ingersoll reacts to a compliment from a coach on the sideline in the Bayless game.

May 2: won 7-0 vs. Riverview Gardens
The Eagles led 4-0 at halftime. Brentwood: Harper, 4 goals; Ingersoll, 1 goal, 1 assist; Megan Shipley, 1 goal; Mishal Azeem, 1 goal; Gilmore, 2 assists; Caroline Bender, 1 assist; Darrow, winning GK, 4 saves.

Rachel Walthall stops a shot in practice.

South Central AA Conference
2016 standings as of May 8
Brentwood 6-1
Crossroads 5-1
Bayless 3-5
Hancock 2-5
Valley Park 2-6

Meghan Haug. — Meghan Haug makes solid contact in the Bayless game.

Brentwood’s Results and Schedule: 12-2
March 24: won 4-1 at Valley Park
March 29: won 10-0 vs. Lift for Life
April 1: won 2-1 vs. Orchard Farm
April 4: won 1-0 at Bayless
April 6: won 5-0 at Metro
April 7: won 4-0 at Gateway STEM
April 12: won 3-2 in OT at Hancock
April 19: won 6-0 vs. Valley Park
April 21: won 3-0 vs. Hancock
April 25: lost 8-1 at O’Fallon Christian
May 2: won 7-0 vs. Riverview Gardens
May 3: won 5-1 vs. Bayless
May 5: won 4-0 at University City
May 6: lost 1-0 vs. Crossroads
May 9: at Crossroads, Midwest Soccer Academy, 4 p.m.
May 11: at Hillsboro, 5:30 p.m.
TBA: Class 1 District 2 playoffs vs. Principia, MRH, Valley Park, Cleveland

Maggie Callihan. — Maggie Callihan takes aim.

Brentwood’s 2003 Results
Final record: 16-3
Beat St. John’s 1-0
Beat St. John’s 1-0
Beat Crossroads 8-1
Beat Bayless 8-0
Beat Ritenour 3-0
Beat Hancock 8-0
Beat Riverview 3-1
Beat Maplewood 2-0
Beat Valley Park 10-0
Lost to Lutheran St. Charles 5-1
Lost to Orchard Farms 4-2
Beat Ladue 2-1
Beat Hancock 6-0
Beat Crossroads 8-1
Beat Valley Park 10-0
Beat Bayless 3-0
Beat Maplewood 3-0
Beat Maplewood 3-0
Lost to John Burroughs 8-0

The Eagles celebrate Maggie Callihan's goal for a 2-0 lead over Bayless. They are (from left) Amanda Ingersoll, Elle Curran, Callihan, Gabby Gombas. — The Eagles celebrate Maggie Callihan’s goal for a 2-0 lead over Bayless. They are (from left) Amanda Ingersoll, Elle Curran, Callihan, Gabby Gombas and Kate Gilmore.

BHS 2003 girls soccer roster
Seniors (2)
Charlotte Mann (captain), Jennifer Zeller
Juniors (3)
Meredith Kurtz (captain), Margaret Stretch, Pam Watt
Sophomores (9)
Kaitlin Fitzgerald, Jaclyn Gammon, Janie Hayward, Karly Kurtz (captain), Natalie Lape, Caroline Mills, Rachael Myers, Swetha Nellakanti, Mary Pozzo
Freshmen (12)
Lauren Brinkman, Julie Duke, Kristin Gibson, Kim Glowski, Amber Hajek, Kilby King, Julia Montefalcon, Ruthie Paka, Christina Phan, Kelsey Risman, Lindsay Schumert, Katie Walker