Setsma's penalty kick sends Bradenton Christian past Saint Stephen's, into first district final
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Molly Setsma said she was nervous, and it's understandable. Eleven years of history sat at her foot for a potentially decisive penalty kick.
The 11th season in Bradenton Christian history could have ended at Thunder Stadium and head coach Butch Morley, who founded the program himself in 2005, could have had his Panthers career end without ever reaching a district championship game.
Midfielder Maddie Allen tumbled to the grass in Saint Stephen's penalty area after leaping for a header and taking a bump in the 71st minute. The sophomore called for Setsma, a freshman midfielder, to try to break the tie in her first year at BCS. The program's history is relatively foreign to her.
Setsma picked her spot -- bottom left -- and gently put it past goalkeeper Ashleigh Rodhouse for the decisive goal. Nine minutes later, No. 3-seed Bradenton Christian clinched a spot in its first district final with a 2-1 win the Class 1A-District 7 semifinal against the No. 2-seed Falcons.
"I was really nervous," Setsma said. "I just knew I had to make it."
Whenever the Panthers' season ends, Morley will step down as the head coach and move into a positional capacity developing BCS' goalkeepers. Bradenton Christian (11-3-1, 4-3) will play top seed Out-of-Door Academy for the district title Friday at 7 p.m. before advancing to the Class 1A-Region 2 quarterfinals Jan. 21.
Despite the Panthers' gaudy record and double-digit wins, they settled for the third seed after losing their two regular-season games to SSES (9-6, 5-2) by a combined score of 9-2.
Setsma didn't play in either of the regular-season losses to Saint Stephen's and Morley knew she would make a difference. She scored BCS' penalty kick to secure the upset.
"It makes a big difference," Morley said. "We knew we could do it. We were at full strength. Everyone was healthy. We knew we had a chance. I don't think we're necessarily better than Saint Stephen's, but tonight we were."
Until defender Madeline Valadie tied the game with her first goal in the 48th minute, the Falcons controlled possession and the scoreboard. In the ninth minute, Catie Pierce chased down a through ball in the box and fired a shot past goalkeeper Rayna Smith for the opening score.
Three minutes later, attacking midfielder Julianne Dunbar fed Pierce in the area again with a short cross. The striker never was able to field it cleanly, however, and the pass skirted harmlessly off her foot and wide of the net.
SSES typically plays on turf at its home field in Bradenton and won five of its nine games there. Moore Athletic Complex at Turner Fields, head coach Lenny Paoletti said, suits their style. The grass at ODA slowed the ball enough to disrupt the Falcons' offense.
"We just didn't convert," Paoletti said. "Our bodies are moving the pace, but the ball's not traveling the pace because of the slow turf and it's tough to adjust."
Instead of entering the second half with a more substantial lead, Saint Stephen's settled for a 1-0 edge. It never took advantage of its chances to put BCS away.
So the Panthers got to celebrate like they've never celebrated before. Morley and his players screamed in celebration after they finished their postgame handshakes. They hugged and posed for a photograph in front of the scoreboard. They needed something to remember this historic moment.
"This is a sweet, sweet, sweet thing," Morley said. "For so many years the ball has rolled just off for us in the district playoffs. Tonight it rolled the right way."
OUT-OF-DOOR 5, SARASOTA CHRISTIAN 0 -- Natalie Gorji netted a hat trick in the first half and the Thunder blew out the Crusaders, 5-0, to reach the 1A-7 championship. ODA (8-7, 6-0) will once again host the title game at its on-campus stadium at 7 p.m.
Gorji scored twice in a two-minute span after breaking through in the 12th minute and added another in the 37th to send Out-of-Door into halftime with a 4-0 lead. Utility player Madisyn Opstal and wing Cayla Dammann scored the other two goals for the Thunder.
"Natalie found a way to place some in the net," head coach Bill Unzicker said. "That's always helpful for us when she's on par."
SCS (2-14-1, 2-7) never placed a shot on goal and the Thunder kept its season-long district shutout streak intact.
This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Setsma's penalty kick sends Bradenton Christian past Saint Stephen's, into first district final ."