Victory slips away

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The Bismarck Century girls soccer team continued with its flair for the dramatic on Saturday.

This time the late heroics earned an addition for the trophy case.

Miranda Glatt slipped a header into the net with 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining to lead the Patriots to a 2-1 victory against previously undefeated Fargo South in a rain-drenched North Dakota girls state soccer tournament championship at Grand Forks South Middle School fields.

It's the fifth title for Century, which slipped into the finals with a 1-0 win against Fargo North in the semifinals.

"I think the girls were excited for this one," Patriots co-coach Sarah McNulty said. "They were confident. That's what you have to do."

Glatt's game-winner started as a Century free kick from about 40 yards away from the South goal.

Andrea LaFrance, a University of North Dakota women's basketball recruit, booted the ball about 30 yards toward the net to start the play.

Bruins goal keeper Ciara Aldrich attempted a leaping grab, but the ball trickled through her outstretched fingers to Glatt in front of the net.

"It's rainy weather," South coach Dan Dougherty said. "It was a fingertip save. When she went to grab it, it just slipped through. When your figures get wet with the gloves on it's hard to grab on."

The play was similar to the Patriots' goal against North with 4:55 on the clock that vaulted them into the title game.

"I'm sure Miranda was looking at that as an opportunity to score a goal," Century co-coach Dave Cook said. "It was a brilliantly served ball and a brilliantly headed ball."

Glatt put the Patriots ahead 1-0 when she beat Aldrich to a lob pass in front of the net and scored with 21:34 remaining in the first half.

With heavy rain pelting the field, North knotted the game at 1-1 on a Rachael Loomis goal in the 44th minute.

Both teams missed several opportunities to score.

South hit the crossbar on a shot from 15 yards away with four minutes left in the first half and missed on an open net just before halftime.

Century clipped a crossbar and a post in the second half.

"It was a great effort by Century," Dougherty said. "... I would have rather lost another one other than this one. Both teams were going to suffer a heavy loss no matter what."

FIRST HALF: 1, BC, Glatt (Lipetzky) 18:26.

SECOND HALF: 2, FS, Loomis (Schultz) 43:49. 3, BC, Glatt (LaFrance) 74:55.

SAVES: FS, Aldrich 6. BC, York 7.

Fargo North 2, Bismarck St. Mary's 0

The Spartans rebounded from a heartbreaking semifinal defeat to top the Saints in the third-place game.

Sam Johnson put North ahead 1-0 with a late first-half goal.

Noel Scherer sealed the win with a goal in the 77th minute.

St. Mary's goal keeper Annie Hessinger had 10 saves.

North finished the season 13-3-1. St. Mary's ends the year 9-5-1.

FIRST HALF: 1, FN, Johnson (Hence, Obermiller) 30:53.

SECOND HALF: 2, FN, Scherer (Throntveit) 76:41.

SAVES: FN, Heiser 4. SM, Hessinger 10.

Fargo Shanley 1, Grand Forks Red River 0

Hannah Langseth scored at 22:24 of the first half to propel the Deacons to a win in the fifth-place game.

Shanley's defense allowed the Roughriders only three shots on net. The Deacons, who place at state for the first time in school history, end the year at 8-8-3.

Red River keeper Ashley Girodat finished with nine saves.

The Roughriders finished the season 7-8-3.

FIRST HALF: 1, S, Langseth (Brown) 22:24.

SECOND HALF: No scoring

SAVES: RR, Girodat 9. S, Olson 3.

Fargo North to face West Fargo in title game

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Fargo North scored four runs in the second inning and then held on to defeat Grand Forks Central 4-3 in the winner's bracket of the North Dakota high school state club fastpitch softball tournament on Saturday.

Brooke Gustafson went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI and Carly Kaspari pitched a

two-hitter for the Spartans

(18-7).

Fargo North will take on West Fargo in the title game at 2 p.m. today.

The Packers advanced to today's championship by surviving two loser-out games.

West Fargo defeated Fargo Shanley 5-1 and Grand Forks Central 9-1 on Saturday.

The Packers' run of nine consecutive state championships is in jeopardy.

Statistics from those games were not available at press

time.

Forum staff reports

Readers can reach Forum reporter Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562.

Hotzler's small college blog can be found at www.areavoices.com

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