By RYAN WALKER
An overtime goal by Canterbury’s Sara Grabowski was the final dagger into the Norwell girls’ soccer season.
Grabowski’s two goals led to a 2-1 overtime win that put Canterbury in the sectional championship on Saturday night on the Knights’ own field. Norwell wraps up the season with an 11-6 record.
The 19th-ranked Cavaliers (10-7) know something about clutch scoring with their 2023 season ending in the state finals for 1A. Grabowski’s eventual game-winner went through with 1:39 remaining in the first overtime.
The Cavaliers controlled the ball for the vast majority of the match. With being a high-quality opponent, the Knights’ coaching staff was forced to make a decision it hadn’t done all season, — and that was to place its leading scorer Grace Mann on defense.
Mann came into the match with 41 goals, tied for 13th in the state of Indiana, but recently committed to DI Creighton to be a defender. Head coach Dan Batdorff thought that putting his top player in the back end was the best opportunity to come out with a win in a close contest rather than a high-scoring game.
“(Assistant coach) Greg (Mann) and I started talking last week about it, and we just started saying ‘OK, what’s going to best serve us here,’” Batdorff said. “We thought keeping the game close and tight with a chance into overtime and maybe get a quick (goal) or go in even to a shootout. That’s what we were kind of hoping for and just take our chances there.”
It seemed that the strategy worked, holding a strong Canterbury squad to one goal through regulation with Mann and the defense holding strong. However, the defensive strategy gave only a handful of opportunities for Norwell to get on the scoreboard.
The first of Grabowski’s strikes came in the first seven minutes of the game. The offensive threat was plentiful early and often for Canterbury but wasn’t able to capitalize for the remainder of the 33 minutes.
Batdorff kept Mann on defense for the rest of the game, rather than folding his hand. It proved to be worth it in the long run.
With 14:25 remaining, Mann took the ball coast-to-coast from the defensive end and freed herself for an open shot. The ball slipped past the goalkeeper and just like that, it was a tie ballgame.
Mann’s opportunities to aid the offense were the few times she tried to create a rush on her own or penalty kicks from deep distances. But the one real chance she got, she ran with, and put the Knights on her back.
“She did not want to lose this game,” Batdorff said. “She came forward. She took it on herself that she was going to score this goal. I saw it in her eyes. She was like ‘This is all me. I’m going to do this,’ and we were hoping that’s what she would do.”
But with the go-ahead goal in overtime and the Cavaliers’ dominance in time of possession, that favored the visitors mightily for the rest of the match. Norwell couldn’t stay on its side of the field to even have a chance, and Canterbury drained the clock out for a victory.
No. 19 Canterbury will meet up with No. 18 Bellmont at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
It was the third season in a row Batdroff’s Knights finished with a winning record. With the game on the line, his team scratched its way to a near upset over a ranked, state runner-up from last season. The 100% effort was all he could ask for.
“I’m very proud … I knew they would never give up,” Batdorff said. “I knew no matter what, they wouldn’t let down and they would step it up.”
ryan@news-banner.com
