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Blue Springs, MO —
No one can stop the great Allie Stephenson.
The brilliant Stephenson scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Lee’s Summit North Broncos blanked St. Joseph’s Academy 3-0 Friday night in a Class 3 state semifinal game at Blue Springs South High School.
Stephenson, who has 63 points this season, broke a 0-0 deadlock at the 64-minute mark when she broke to her left and used her left leg to fire a rocket past Angels goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder.
“That’s just how we work that play in practice,” Stephenson said. “We were knocking on the door the entire game and it was nice to finally knock it down.”
Three minutes later, Stephenson scored on a penalty kick, and to wrap up the win she fed teammate Ashley Licata, who scored at the 70-minute mark.
The win puts the 24-3 Broncos into the 6 p.m. championship game against 22-2 Cor Jesu Academy Saturday at Blue Springs South High School.
“We lost the championship game when I was a freshman, and I still remember what that feels like,” said Stephenson, who has 28 goals and 7 assists this season. “Tonight, I think we were a little bit uptight in the first half.
“It was scoreless, and we weren’t really playing our game. We talked about that at halftime. Then we came out and played our game and scored three goals.”
The Broncos had three quality scoring opportunities in the first half as Licata missed an open-net attempt at 2:00 when the kick sailed left. Stephenson then drove to the net, but found her path blocked by Ponder at the 18:00 mark. Four minutes later, Ponder made a diving stop on a Stephenson blast that proved the 15-7-1 Angels weren’t going to back down against the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year.
“She has two or three defenders on her every time she plays,” Broncos coach Tim Richardson said. “The first goal, well, you don’t usually see a goal like that at the high school level – you see it at the next level, or in the pros.”
Stephenson broke free from two defenders to score her first goal 14 minutes into the second half, and that changed everything for the Broncos.
“When you have a lead, you play with more confidence,” said Licata, who has 10 goals this season. “And with a player like Allie, you know you’re usually going to score. She’s amazing.”
When asked if her goal made up for two earlier misses, she shook her head yes enthusiastically.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “It’s nice to redeem yourself, especially in a big game like this.”
Maddie Dobyns recorded six saves and starred in her eighth consecutive shutout (see sidebar).
“The offense, our defense, they all played well tonight,” Richardson said. “We watched Cor Jesu play today, and to be honest with you, we don’t know a lot about them. But to still be playing at this time of the year, they must be awfully good.”
No one can stop the great Allie Stephenson.
The brilliant Stephenson scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Lee’s Summit North Broncos blanked St. Joseph’s Academy 3-0 Friday night in a Class 3 state semifinal game at Blue Springs South High School.
Stephenson, who has 63 points this season, broke a 0-0 deadlock at the 64-minute mark when she broke to her left and used her left leg to fire a rocket past Angels goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder.
“That’s just how we work that play in practice,” Stephenson said. “We were knocking on the door the entire game and it was nice to finally knock it down.”
Three minutes later, Stephenson scored on a penalty kick, and to wrap up the win she fed teammate Ashley Licata, who scored at the 70-minute mark.
The win puts the 24-3 Broncos into the 6 p.m. championship game against 22-2 Cor Jesu Academy Saturday at Blue Springs South High School.
“We lost the championship game when I was a freshman, and I still remember what that feels like,” said Stephenson, who has 28 goals and 7 assists this season. “Tonight, I think we were a little bit uptight in the first half.
“It was scoreless, and we weren’t really playing our game. We talked about that at halftime. Then we came out and played our game and scored three goals.”
The Broncos had three quality scoring opportunities in the first half as Licata missed an open-net attempt at 2:00 when the kick sailed left. Stephenson then drove to the net, but found her path blocked by Ponder at the 18:00 mark. Four minutes later, Ponder made a diving stop on a Stephenson blast that proved the 15-7-1 Angels weren’t going to back down against the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year.
“She has two or three defenders on her every time she plays,” Broncos coach Tim Richardson said. “The first goal, well, you don’t usually see a goal like that at the high school level – you see it at the next level, or in the pros.”
Stephenson broke free from two defenders to score her first goal 14 minutes into the second half, and that changed everything for the Broncos.
“When you have a lead, you play with more confidence,” said Licata, who has 10 goals this season. “And with a player like Allie, you know you’re usually going to score. She’s amazing.”
When asked if her goal made up for two earlier misses, she shook her head yes enthusiastically.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “It’s nice to redeem yourself, especially in a big game like this.”
Maddie Dobyns recorded six saves and starred in her eighth consecutive shutout (see sidebar).
“The offense, our defense, they all played well tonight,” Richardson said. “We watched Cor Jesu play today, and to be honest with you, we don’t know a lot about them. But to still be playing at this time of the year, they must be awfully good.”
