Generals eliminate Lady Vikings

BY CHAD DARE

DECATUR May 15, 2008 07:45 am

— Natalie Henneberry scored three times to lead the Decatur MacArthur Generals past the Danville Lady Vikings 4-0 in a Class AA regional soccer semifinal.
Heneberry’s second goal proved to be the back-breaker for Danville and goal keeper Amanda Bodine.
After the score, giving MacArthur a 2-0 lead, Bodine was given a yellow card followed by a red card.
“The result was irrelevant to the point when Amanda got sent off for absolutely nothing,’’ Lutterschmidt said. “You don’t recover from a blow like that.’’
Bodine was protesting the goal as it appeared that Henneberry might have been guilty of a foul on the play.
“They got the second one, snuck in on a play that wasn’t a good play,’’ Lutterschmidt said.
MacArthur coach Dale Smith admitted Bodine’s ejection was a big turning point in the match.
He also said it was key that his team didn’t lose their composure in the final 20 minutes.
“They were definitely frustrated because they were giving it all they had,’’ he said. “I just reminded our girls that we didn’t need any cards before Friday’s regional championship.’’
The Generals (7-6-3) scored two more goals within a span of eight minutes to put the finishing touches on their win.
Crystal Ziegler, who also had two assists, scored the first and Henneberry completed her three-goal game with the final tally.
“I thought that Natalie Henneberry had a lot to do with our success,’’ Smith said. “She did a great job up top of holding the ball and laying it off. I thought that she put a lot of pressure on them.’’
Lutterschmidt felt that his girls contained her fairly well.
“On that first goal, we were just out of position, there was no chance to stop it, and the second one was questionable because of the play with the keeper,’’ he said. “Being down 2-0, we had to open things up offensively and that allowed her some opportunities.’’
The Lady Vikings best chances to score came in the final minute of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half.
“We couldn’t put our chances away,’’ Lutterschmidt said. “You’ve got have a little luck once in a while.’’
The first golden opportunity for Danville came with just 35 seconds left in the opening half as Janelle Hensold’s shot was snared by MacArthur keeper Katie Groesch with a diving stop.
Then in the second half, Danville’s Brittany Ellis made a pass that appeared to roll right past the goal and out of the reach of a wide-open Brittani Gentry.
“We played the game we wanted to play and we played a good game,’’ Lutterschmidt said. “But, that’s the way it goes sometimes.’’
Danville ends its season with a 4-11 record, while MacArthur will play Urbana in a 5 p.m. contest on Friday for the regional championship.

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