Bishop Gorman rallies past Grizzlies, pads Southwest lead
Bishop Gorman sophomore midfielder Mia Moore missed her freshman season of girls soccer with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
But she’s found her stride quickly this year.
Moore scored to rally the Gaels from an early 1-0 deficit and help Gorman to a 2-1 home win over Spring Valley to keep hold of first place in the Southwest League.
“Mia plays extremely hard the entire game; she rarely needs a sub because she’s so fit,” Gorman coach Lora Feely said. “She came in not knowing what to expect, but has turned into a key player for us this year.
“It’s not just goal-scoring or assists but a combination of the two. ... She’s a good player; totally a coach’s dream. She plays with heart, she’s very competitive, and everything she does, she does to the best of her ability.”
The Grizzlies (5-3-1, 5-2-1 Southwest) started the scoring early, when forward Markie Henderson took advantage of a Gorman defensive miscommunication to score less than 10 minutes into the match.
The Gaels (8-1-1, 8-0-1) responded with Moore redirecting Alyssa Campagna's cross pass to tie the match in the 28th minute.
Sophomore Haley Wingender put the Gaels ahead for good, tapping the ball into the back of the net after a cross from Courtney Beckwith in the 45th minute.
“Our team knows what they have to do on the field,” Feely said. “They really played well today, working hard, winning the ball, stringing some good plays together; the passing was well done.
“We did have that little breakdown in the back in the first half, but it shows a lot of heart ... to come from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1.”
The Grizzlies nearly tied it in the 63rd minute, but goalkeeper Kaylie Vitale smothered Henderson’s fast break down the left sideline.
“Both teams came in fired up because we were both fighting for that No. 1 spot,” Feely said. “We’re No. 1 now, but they’re right behind us, and we’d like to hold that position going into the playoffs.”
