By Sesa Graham
BATAVIA, NY- The Delta Pioneers took on the Brookhaven Bears of Dallas at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Delta women’s soccer team fell 2-1 to Brookhaven for the National Championship title.
The Pioneers entered the matchup undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Pioneers, looking for their second national title, could not defend against Brookhaven’s two goals. Delta made many goal attempts, yet Brookhaven’s goalie, Cameron Watson, made five saves, only failing to save the shot made by midfielder Megan Huisman. Keeper for Delta Allison Buda also made five saves throughout the game.
Delta’s forward Megan Huisman scored the first goal in the first half, leaving the score 0-1. She was assisted by forward Faith Webber, who ended the game with six shots on goal. Joining Webber with attempted shots were forward Maddy Boyes with two, forward Carly Bolen with one, and midfielder Katie Bishop with one.
Brookhaven’s first goal was scored by forward Johanna Rodriguez shortly after Delta scored theirs in the first half.
With a score of 1-1, both teams were fast-paced with tension on their defense and offense. The first half ended with a tie.
In the second half of the matchup, both teams were doing their best to keep the ball from going to their side of the defense. With the rain and snow, one may think Delta had an advantage with the weather versus the players from the South, but these Texans showed no signs of slowing down.
With 19:06 left on the clock of the second half, Brookhaven’s forward Johanna Rodriguez scored her second goal.
The scoreboard being 2-1 now, Delta’s motivation to tie up the game was at an all-time high. The Pioneers kept a tight defense while passing the ball up to offense every chance they could. Every attempted goal was saved by Brookhaven’s goalie in the second half. Pushing through the weather, the Pioneers fell short to the Bears by one goal.
This game was one for the books and left spectators on the edge of their seats, not knowing what the outcome would be.
Delta has appeared in the national championship game for the past four years. They say it takes 10-15 years to build a dynasty, but it only took coaches Damon Amey and Paul Stenglein six years, and the Pioneers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The Pioneers ended their 2021-2022 season 18-2. With such a young team, that is not to say that next season’s veteran squad won’t come back again to reclaim their national title reign.
- Fun Fact: Brookhaven used to be called the Pioneers until 1989, when they were changed to the Bears.
