5-29-2024 2:19am

SOCCER: Saline Defeats Bedford, 8-0, Advances to District Championship

Saline waited a week between games before opening the playoffs at Bedford Tuesday. And then thunder and lightning forced the Hornets to wait another hour in the nearby middle school.

After all that waiting, the Hornets came out buzzing and scored an 8-0 win over Bedford that ended a moment into the second half due to the mercy rule.

Saline advanced to the district championship game. Saline will play the winner of the Pioneer-Skyline game. The final was originally scheduled for Thursday evening but has tentatively been reset for 11 a.m. Saturday at Bedford High School.

"It was a professional performance," Saline coach Leigh Rumbold said after the game. "We had a little delay because of the rain. I think that actually helped us out. We were cooped up inside. All the girls want to do is play. So as soon as we got the green light, we didn't waste any time. We had a week off, as well, so they were just dying to get out here and play."

Junior Sienna Snyder opened the scoring with a high, heavy kick that overpowered the goalie.

Sadie Walsh scored the first of her two goals after taking a nice centering pass and scoring from 13 yards out.

The Hornets took a 3-0 lead when Cora Conley played her corner kick into the box and Avery Nam redirected the ball into the goal.

Four Hornets got a touch in on Saline's fourth goal. Laynie Tousa drove down the right wing, stopped and played it into the middle. Nora Walsh dropped it back to Nada Derneika, who fired a hard, low shot along the turf. The shot was deflected by a Bedford defender but went right to a Bella Barnes, who one-touched it into the goal.

TheSalinePost on X: "Warden scores! Saline 5 Bedford 0 https://t.co/0smN4IQ8x7" / X

Ellie Warden made it 5-0 when she took a drop pass from Barnes and fired a hard shot through the keeper.

Laynie Tousa's showed speed, shiftiness and touch on Saline's sixth goal. She burned down the right wing, deftly slowed for an instant to cut to the center and then placed a shot past the goalie.

Teagan Warden scored to make it 7-0. Barnes dropped a pass that made its way to Warden, who fired a 25-yard shot to the right of the goalie.

The game ended by mercy rule when Sadie Walsh scored just a moment into the second half. She took a pass from Dernieka, created some room to shoot with a great cut back to the middle, and then powered the ball through the keeper.

See our photo gallery at the link: SOCCER: Saline vs Bedford 5-28-24 District SF - thesalinepost (smugmug.com)