ONEONTA – Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton relied on the comeback to win its first two sectional playoff games. It needed a third.
Milford, the top seed in the Section IV, Class D tournament, scored late in the first half, and that tally was the difference in 1-0 shutout of the Raiders (10-7-3) Saturday.
G-MU was teetering on the verge of having a losing season until it won its last regular season game against Franklin. Since that time, G-MU has picked up the pace for third-year head coach Kristen Bradbury making its best sectional run in eight years, while also seeking its first sectional championship in nine.
Bradbury, expecting her first child later this month, said she is stepping down as head coach after taking a winless team three years ago to the cusp of a championship.
“Just three years ago, we hadn’t won a game, and we only won one game that first year,” Bradbury said. “They way they’ve come along...it’s been a pleasure and an honor to be with them. I can’t complain.”
Much like its sectional semifinals victory over Cherry Valley-Springfield, the Raiders had the better of the play in the first half. Sophomore Lauren Hill had two golden scoring opportunities for her team. One, she had a breakaway in which her shot was stopped by Milford goalie Krista Ransier. Later in the half, Hill won the ball near the endline from a Milford defender, she turned the ball in and hit a hooking shot over Ransier that just caught the outside of the sidebar and bounced out of bounds.
Milford was able to counter the early G-MU offense, and scored the go-ahead goal only to have it waved off due to an offsides call. G-MU’s ensuing free kick was stolen by Milford’s Emily Brennan, who fired a hard pass that skipped through the G-MU defense to teammate Kaley Chase. Chase tucked the ball away from close range with 2:26 left.
“I think we were relieved when the first goal didn’t count,” Bradbury said. “I think we thought there was another offsides so they kind of stopped playing again. (We) thought it was the same thing, and Milford took advantage.”
