WESTMINSTER — Thursday might have been puzzling enough for St. Mary’s Academy supporters, when the Wildcats took on the Wildcats of The Academy.
Next, St. Mary’s Academy will oppose St. Mary’s.
SMA doesn’t mind wading through the confusion, however, because the scenario was set up by a 1-0 Class 3A quarterfinals win at Five Star North, thanks to another late goal by freshman Julia O’Flaherty.
“They’re starting to call me the Playoff Queen,” said O’Flaherty, who also scored a double-overtime goal in a second-round upset of No. 2 seed Holy Family.
The 15th-seeded Wildcats (13-4-1) survived for a semifinals matchup (Saturday, All-City Stadium) against defending champion St. Mary’s, which is rolling after a 4-0 shutout of Coal Ridge on Thursday. But after following the Holy Family upset with another against No. 7 The Academy, SMA has a bring-it-on approach.
“After the season we’ve played, we feel if we play hard and stay mentally tough, we can do almost anything,” O’Flaherty said.
O’Flaherty, whose twin sister, Darrah, also plays for the Wildcats, found herself alone on the left side after a ball ricocheted off an opposing player, and she quickly found the net with only nine minutes remaining in regulation.
“She’s played unbelievable,” said SMA leading scorer Hannah Selner. “Just having her come in for the last half or so and give us a big spurt of energy is just awesome.”
The Academy (15-3) had suffered only one loss since its opener, a 1-0 decision to SMA on May 6. O’Flaherty’s goal allowed history to repeat itself.
“They were in the right place at the right time,” The Academy coach Bernie Manker said. “We had a bad touch, and it’s kind of unfortunate a game like this is decided that way.”
SMA dominated the flow early and outshot The Academy 7-1 in the first half (12-2 overall). Then O’Flaherty discarded her warm-ups just in time to avoid overtime.
“When we’re getting down and trying to find our second wind, she just gives us that life that we need,” Selner said.
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St. Mary’s Academy 0 1 — 1
The Academy 0 0 — 0
Goals — St. Mary’s Academy, J. O’Flaherty, 71st. Shots — St. Mary’s Academy 7-3 — 10, The Academy 1-1 — 2. Saves — St. Mary’s Academy (Lamarre) 1-1 — 2, The Academy (Watts) 7-2 — 9. Corner kicks — St. Mary’s Academy 6-1 — 7, The Academy 2-1 — 3.
