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February 18, 2010
It didn’t take long for the Vandebilt girls’ soccer team to show Belle Chasse it meant business in the teams’ second round playoff matchup on Wednesday.
Thanks to an opening-minute goal by sophomore Meghan Philp, the Terriers scored early and often and rolled to a 7-0 victory.
“We played really well tonight,” Philip said, who recorded a hat trick in the win. “We really took it to them. The first half, the second half, all together, it was just a great game for us.”
Philip was the star of the show in the opening half and she poured in all three of the Lady Terriers’ goals in the half.
Vandebilt Lady Terrier soccer coach Philip Amedee commended his sophomore’s efforts and said she has been a big part of the team’s success this season.
“She’s been our leading goal scorer,” he said. “And we’re going to need her to keep attacking as we keep moving forward.”
Freshman Makelle Pena, senior Casey Price, sophomore Marci St. Germain and eighth grader Julia Callejas also added second-half goals to run the margin to 7-0.
With the win, the Lady Terriers moved one-step closer to a third-straight state championship — a feat that has never been achieved in high school soccer.
Vandebilt will next take on Loyola Prep in the quarterfinal round on a date yet to be determined.
“We’re excited about having the opportunity to make high school history,” Amedee said. “Our seniors have an opportunity to really make their mark in high school soccer.”
While the Vandebilt girls took a step in extending their postseason dominance, the Vandebilt boys took a step to erase last season’s heartbreaking postseason exit during the week and rolled to a second-round 5-0 win against Bossier on Wednesday and a quarterfinals win against Neville on Saturday in a 1-0 decision.
“We’ve got experience on this team,” said Terrier coach Matt Kelso. “So I’m not worried about going beyond what we did before … We’ll go out and take care of our business and if we do go out there and do what we do, I think we will be OK.”
Most of Saturday’s match was a defensive slugfest, but the Terriers were able to break the ice in the 59th minute on a goal by J.J. Waitz off a corner kick by T.J. Freeman.
With the win, the team moves to the semifinals where they will meet the winner between Teurlings Catholic and Woodlawn.
The Terriers’ playoff success comes one year after the team entered last season’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed, but were shut out in the second round by Loyola.
It didn” take the team long to put those demons to bed in the opening of the playoffs on Wednesday as Freeman fired home a free kick to put the Terriers on the scoreboard early in the opening half of the team’s second round match against Bossier.
Senior Matt Robichaux matched Freeman’s goal with a pair of his own to help spark the Terriers offense.
Robichaux said he and his teammates spoke about last year’s postseason during practice and did not want to allow the same thing to happen this time around.
“That was not happening again this year,” Robichaux said. “There was no way.”
Freeman, who is the leading goal scorer in the history of the program, said having Robichaux attacking in the midfield makes everyone’s job easier.
“He was awesome,” Freeman said. “He stepped up big time. He has the talent and he has the ability. We’re tough to beat when he is coming through for us.”
Kelso agreed with his senior’s assessment and said he was proud of Robichaux’s performance.
“Roby’s been working hard and he’s been really putting it together lately,” Kelso said. “I’m very pleased for him.”
Robichaux said Vandebilt will be in for a fight no matter who wins the quarterfinals match between Teurlings Catholic and Woodlawn. But the senior said there is nothing easy about the team’s goal — winning a state championship.
“That’s what we’re setting out to do,” he said. “Make no mistake about it. We’re playing every game like it’s our championship game and if we do that, I think we’ll go where we need to.”
Vandebilt’s boys’ and girls’ teams re the only teams still alive from the Tri-parish area.
The E.D. White boys’ team and girls’ team and the Morgan City girls’ team were all eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
The Cardinals lost 6-2 to St. Thomas Aquinas. The Lady Cardinals dropped a 3-2 match to Runnels and Morgan City lost a heartbreaker in penalty kicks to Neville.
Vandebilt Catholic soccer player Jacob Waitz (8) attempts a header amidst a crowd of teammates and defenders in the Terriers’ second-round playoff win against Bossier. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR
