To be continued

Published 10:57 pm Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Shot: Nansemond River midfielder Elice Genier sends a shot toward goal against Great Bridge Tuesday night at Nansemond River. The Lady Warriors (7-7-2, 4-3-2) played Great Bridge to a scoreless draw in the regular season finale for both squads. Nansemond River and Great Bridge will meet again, as the No. 5 and No. 4 seeds respectively, in the first round of the Southeastern District Tournament on Monday at Grassfield.

Ninety minutes of soccer didn’t produce a victor between Nansemond River and Great Bridge Tuesday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Lady Warriors and Lady Wildcats played to a 0-0 draw. The two teams don’t have to wait long to meet again, and the next contest will have to end with a winner.

Great Bridge and Nansemond River (7-7-2, 4-3-2) will be the No. 4 vs. No. 5 match-up in the first round of the Southeastern District Tournament Monday at 4 p.m. at Grassfield, so the Lady Wildcats and Lady Warriors will get to make it 170 straight minutes, and quite possibly a few more, facing no opponent but one other.

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The scoreless result on Tuesday evening was fitting, as neither side allowed the other more than a few promising chances on goal.

For the Lady Warriors, who now get to go into the district tourney with three wins and a draw out of their last four matches, keeping everything organized in midfield and defense kept Great Bridge frustrated.

Senior goalkeeper Rachel McManus had to come up with a couple big saves. McManus was busier, though, directing her teammates in front of her and being able to confidently gather or clear long Great Bridge passes into her end of the field before any danger materialized.

It was senior night for McManus, a four-year starter at keeper for the Lady Warriors, and forward/center midfielder Danielle Gallagher.

Regardless of how the district tournament plays out, the Lady Warriors have had one of the best seasons and a winning district record with 17 underclassmen on their 19-player roster.

Nansemond River put together more possessions and more attacking chances as the second half progressed.

Sweeper Sara Gallagher had a couple dangerous shots off of free kicks beyond the top of the Great Bridge penalty box.

Forward Malika Rashid was dangerous sprinting past the Great Bridge center backs a couple times. With eight minutes left in regulation, Rashid chased down a pass by Megan Proffit and had a split second to get a shot off before the Lady Wildcat keeper got to her. Rashid’s shot went wide as she collided with the keeper near the penalty spot.

Regulation ended with a Great Bridge shot off a corner kick, but the shot went over the crossbar.

The 10 minutes of overtime ended with the Lady Warriors getting the final shot, on literally the final kick. Proffit half-volleyed a 20-yard, right-footed shot barely by the upper right corner of the Lady Wildcat goal and the official blew the final whistle before the ball was put back in play.

The Great Bridge vs. Nansemond River tournament match will be the second first-round girls match of the day Monday at Grassfield. The two semifinal matches are set for Tuesday evening at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.