Anna Saltman played about as well as you can ask from a goalkeeper going against the powerful Staten Island Academy attack.
“She makes the initial save and if there is nobody there to back her up, she has done her job,” first-year Berkeley Carroll coach Jason Dorn said.
The senior made seven saves including two on shots that ended up turning into goals in a 3-0 loss to the Tigers in PSAA girls soccer at the Parade Grounds Monday. The loss is Berkeley Carroll’s first in the league, denying it a chance to win the regular-season title.
“We said from the beginning of the game, we knew they were strong, we knew they were fast,” Dorn said. “We need to impose our will on the game. We had to be first to every ball. To be honest not much of that happened in the first half.”
Saltman, who is a captain, nearly denied the Tigers first goal. Danielle Fuller ripped a shot high from about 10 yards out in the 29th minute. She stuck her hands ups, but the ball deflected over her head. Saltman made a desperation dive, but the ball went in the left corner of the net in the to make it 1-0, a score that held up at halftime.
“I was hoping I could get too it, but after it popped out of my hands it was done,” Saltman said.
After allowing a second goal to Fuller on a perfect free kick from 20 yards out, Saltman, who Dorn called arguably the league’s best keeper, made a diving save on a Fuller blast from the right side. The ball rolled off her hands to the far post and was kicked in for the third goal with less than 10 minutes left to play in the game.
The Tigers (6-0-1) dominated the first half, but Berkeley Carroll came out with more energy after the break. Midfielders Phoebe Miller and Liyrose Weiss and forward Gilda Gross led the pressure into the SIA end. With the score 2-0, Miller sent a through ball up to Gross, but she was beat to the ball by Staten Island Academy goalkeeper Gabrielle Tricorico in the 71st minute, the best combination the Lions (7-1-1) put together.
“We knew we needed to go out and play our best,” Saltman said. “We had that mindset from the behind of the game. We stepped it up in the second half.”
Dorn is hoping to see SIA again in two weeks in the PSAA final with a chance for his team to redeem themselves.
“If we play an entire game like we did that second half,” Dorn said. “I think we can get one from them.”
