Andrew's Second Half Goal Sends OA Girls' Soccer to South Sectional Finals

For the second straight year, the Oliver Ames girls' soccer team will make a trip to the South Sectional Finals.

The Tigers beat No. 2 Needham, 1-0 Friday night in Taunton thanks to Senior Captain Kendall Andrew's goal in the 14th minute of the second half.

"We’re just thrilled and Kendall Andrew - she’s a senior going to PC next year," Oliver Ames coach Britt Sellmayer said. "She played an aweful lot of dirty stuff in the midfield but when she got that one opportunity she placed it. She’s a great player."

Andrew broke what was a defensive battle to that point.

For OA, Lexi Soucie, Nicole Taylor, Clarrissa Romero and Allison Brennan were able to keep the ball away from the net, miinimizing shots on goal to goalkeeper Nora MacLaine.

"They had the possession in our end and the goalie didn’t have to make a lot of great saves," Sellmayer said. "They had that one great opportunity where they missed wide in the first half."

Sellmayer added that Romero and Taylor have been integral to OA's success this year.

"[Romero] and Nikki Taylor are just indespensible players that play with one in the back and one in the front."

The Tigers missed Senior Captain Kelsey Bliss, who was out due to an arm injury, to start the game, but they were able to settle in as the game moved forward.

"If you watched the first 15 minutes, I didn’t think we were going to make it. But, the girls calmed down and gained a little more composure. We had one chance and we capitalized," Sellmayer said.

The Tigers will need to capitalize on all opportunities when they take on No. 1 Franklin in the South Sectional Finals. The Panthers are 17-0-1 on the year and beat Oliver Ames 6-1 earlier in the season.

Game time is set for 5 p.m. Sunday at Braintree High School.