MIDDLETOWN, Nov. 18 – Senior Erica Primovic scored on a penalty kick midway through the first half and the Falcon defense allowed just two shots as No. 2 Avon earned a spot in the Class L championship game for the third straight season with a 1-0 victory over defending champion RHAM.
Primovic was taken down hard by a Sachem defender with 21:41 remaining in the first half. She slammed a shot into the net to give Avon (15-1-2) the only goal it would need. It was her second successful penalty kick shot of the tournament. She had a PK in Avon’s successful shootout win over E.O. Smith in the first round.
“I’ve been working with a soccer coach on penalty kicks,” she said. “You take responsibility and take your kick. I didn’t think twice. (Coach Jim) Murray is always telling us to pick your spot. I stayed with it.”
Avon will face the winner of Friday’s game between arch-rival Farmington on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Indians beat Bethel, 1-0.
For the second straight game, the Falcon defense was outstanding, allowing just two shots. Goalie Kaylan Conrad made two saves to earn her 10th shutout of the season. “The pace was a little quicker for us (on artificial turf),” Murray said. “But we didn’t concede a good shot. Sarah Betancourt did an outstanding job on their top player.” Sweeper Molly Brown anchored the defense along with Betancourt, Sarah Gerali and Grace Lennon.
Avon had 14 shots on goal and has gotten better as the tournament has progressed. It was their third game in less than a week after taking off nearly 10 days due to the power outages following the Oct. 29 snowstorm.
“We’re getting better,” Primovic said. “We need to be more consistent and work together as a team. We can’t play as individuals. Today, we did very well passing to our feet.”
Playing on artificial turf didn’t hurt either. “We tend to slide tackle a lot (on grass),” Primovic said. “That hurts on turf. It forced us to pass more. I hope we play on turf again in the finals.”
Class L quarterfinals
Avon 1, Berlin 0
AVON, Nov. 15 – Caroline Smith scored off a feed from Erica Primovic with about nine minutes left in regulation to lift the Falcons in the Class L semifinals for the fourth straight year with a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Berlin. G Kaylan Conrad had three saves to earn her ninth shutout of the season.
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