Lady Hawks surge to sectional semi win

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 24 October 2023 at 10:50 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Samantha Bates controls the ball as Bloomfield’s Chloe Rayburn closes in during the Lady Hawks sectional semifinal win this evening at Caledonia-Mumford.

Pulling away with a big second half scoring burst, top seeded Holley downed No. 4 Bloomfield 7-0 in a Section V Class C1 girls soccer semifinal game this evening at Caledonia-Mumford.

Holley held a slender 1-0 lead at the half as Jailyn Bishop scored off an assist from Samantha Bates at the 30 minute mark.

It stayed a tight 1-0 game until 22 minutes remained in the second half when the Lady Hawks finally broke the contest open with a quick two goal scoring burst within a span of two minutes. Bates scored the first off an assist from Bishop and Emma Brady the second from Bates.

Holley, which controlled play throughout with its speed and a sharp passing game, then closed out the win with a flurry of four goals in the final 11 minutes.

Breakaway goals by Bates and Bella Thom highlighted the scoring explosion which also included another goal by Bates and one by Alivia Wolf. Thom, Brady, Wolf and Bishop all took turns contributing assists during that big scoring run.

“They settled in in the second half and played very well together,” said Holley Coach Renee Wolf. “They really looked for each other and connected with each other a lot.”

Improving to 15-3, Holley will now face No. 2 Williamson for the C1 title on Friday at a site to be determined. Williamson downed No. 3 Oakfield-Alabama 4-1 in the other semifinal.