Girls soccer: Solomon, Batavia best Neuqua Valley in final seconds

Never mind Neuqua Valley's equalizing goal, Batavia senior Avery Solomon knew she still had time to spare.

Neuqua Valley freshman Alexis May had just scored a game-tying goal at 3-3 with 2:02 remaining in regulation after not giving up on the run of play.

The Bulldogs had one more run in them.

With time soon winding close to zero after Bulldogs goalie Addie Cooper's last punt to about midfield, Batavia junior Brooke Carlson corralled it and managed to skip it up to Solomon. Solomon, after a bunch of strides, was able to finesse past Wildcats goalie Alicia Fabian with 15 seconds left for Batavia's 4-3 nonconference victory on Saturday.

"[The ball] kind of ricocheted off [Carlson's] leg. I heard the energy from the bench and I [knew] I've got to take this touch," Solomon said. "I saw the goalie come out, so I took the opportunity to take a touch around her and I just did a calm pass into the goal."

"My team didn't give up. The momentum was there. Everyone just kept with their energy and I'm so proud that we kept on, kept pressuring them and kept finding the open places to get us through," Solomon continued.

Batavia (3-2) built a 3-1 halftime lead after two nifty goals from Carlson and another from Natalie Warner. Neuqua Valley (1-2) struck first on Safa Jeffery's boot, which was answered by Carlson approximately eight minutes later.

Warner added Batavia's second goal on a fluky play, in which both Warner and May met nearly instantaneously on a rush, but the ball's momentum from Warner's attempt was enough to glide into the net for the 2-1 Batavia lead with 9:35 left.

Bulldogs starting goalie Natalie Dean exited the game two minutes later after a collision in the box and being hit in the face during a Neuqua Valley rush, which prompted Cooper's sudden insertion in goal.

"It is a bit of a jump-scare [and] nerve-wracking [coming in unexpectedly]," said Cooper, who had five saves in relief. "Knowing I can support her while she's hurt gets me pumped up and excited [to play]."

Carlson's second goal then came with 2:18 left in the first half for the 3-1 Bulldogs lead.

Neuqua Valley, however, kept up the pressure.

Selma Larbi blasted in a goal with 30:30 left in the second half to kick-start the Wildcats, who sustained the aggressive offensive attack. Both teams traded impressive defensive stops to preserve goals within 10 minutes of one another, and Neuqua Valley nearly cashed in on an equalizing goal by Anna Yuccas in traffic, but was ruled to have interfered with Cooper on the save by making contact.

May's goal and Solomon's game-winner capped off the seesaw finish.

"I saw a chance to get the ball. I second-guessed myself by running at it, but I knew I had to," Cooper said on May's tying goal. "I also think I just didn't get my body behind the ball, but I did get a slight grip on it."

"From my point of view, it was a bad punt," Cooper said on the game-winning goal. "I was like 'That's not going anywhere.' I looked down for a hot second and Avery kicks it past the goal. She shoots and I was like 'Oh, my God, we won."

May scored her first goal of the season at the crucial moment.

"I think I was more excited for her," Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez said. "The way we were playing, I know [Batavia] had two unlucky goals in the first half, so it wasn't really an indication of the way we were playing. So, just to be able to get back to that 3-3 was awesome. I mean, good for her. I think if had been anyone, I guess we would've been just as happy."

" ...[May] is a natural forward, but she also likes to come up as an attacking midfielder, so she's a striker, but she can also attack the middle. She's good at it," Gonzalez continued.