Lou Reuter/Lake Placid News Lake Placid’s Taylor Barney boots the ball in front of teammate Sam Barney while Maritza Lester (11) and Courtney Gilmore of Chazy close in on the play during their Northern Soccer League Division II match on Wednesday, Sept. 18 on the Blue Bombers field.

LAKE PLACID – For the entire first half and the early minutes of the second, the Lake Placid and Chazy girls soccer teams were deadlocked in a scoreless soccer match Sept. 18.

That all changed when Eagles’ senior goalkeeper and team captain Logan Baker was taken to the hospital with a head injury after a collision with Blue Bombers’ forward Liza Marinis. It occurred with 5:20 gone in the second stanza, and when play resumed about a half hour later, a fired-up Chazy team went on to score three goals and claim a 3-0 victory over Lake Placid.

After watching her teammate and best friend being taken away in an ambulance, Amber Polomsky scored Chazy’s first goal less than five minutes after the game was restarted. The Eagles tacked on two more goals during the final 10 minutes of the match to improve to 4-2 overall, while the Blue Bombers suffered their first loss and fell to 3-1-1.

“I think that stoppage really hurt us,” Lake Placid head coach Heather Brewer said. “It was a pretty even match until that point.”

Polomsky scored off a transition play, as the Eagles gained possession of the ball near midfield and went on the attack. Streaking up the middle of the pitch, the senior defender collected a pass from Rachel Pombrio and ripped a shot past Lake Placid goalkeeper Emily Barney. Pombrio then gave the Eagles a 2-0 edge and put the game out of reach with 2:03 remaining on a high shot from her left wing position from about 20 yards out.

Lake Placid defender Alexa Whitney sends the ball upfield in front of Chazy’s Amber Polomsky during a game on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Lou Reuter/Lake Placid News

Skyler Thomas buried the last Chazy goal with 1:11 left on the clock when she one-timed a shot off a Cailee LaPorte corner kick that sailed over a leaping Barney.

“Our sweeper had come up to make a play and was out of position on their first goal,” Brewer said. “They took advantage of the opening and went on a rush. I think on defense, we were positioned where we needed to be. We defended well, we just needed to finish on one or two chances and it could have been a different story.”

Chazy coach Karin Sherman said Baker’s injury, which turned out to be minor, inspired her players.

“We were a different team after that,” said Sherman, who has a 95-7-2 record in her sixth season leading the team. “Sometimes, there’s drama with the girls, but ultimately, we are a team. We are a close-knit Chazy soccer family, and when all is said and done, we stick together. I really like how the girls responded. Our goalie’s best friend put the ball in the net.”

The Eagles held a 14-8 edge in shots. In just her second game replacing injured starter Laura Stanton, Barney had a solid outing in nets and made eight saves for Lake Placid. Baker made six saves in goal for the Eagles before leaving, and Gwen LaPier preserved the shutout, stopping two Blue Bombers’ shots.

The game ended right after Lake Placid’s Payton Barney ripped a shot just wide of the net in an attempt to break up the Eagles’ shutout bid.

With the win, Chazy took sole possession of first place in the Northern Soccer League Division II standings.

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Chazy 3, Lake Placid 0

[TABULATED_DATA]

Scoring

Second Half

1. C, Polomsky (Pombrio), 29:58; 2. C, Pombrio (Stalker), 37:57; 3. C, Thomas (LaPorte), 39:49.

Shots: Chazy 14, Lake Placid 8.

Saves: C, Baker 6, LaPier 2; LP, E. Barney 8.

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Sept. 20

Ticonderoga 3, Lake Placid 2

TICONDEROGA – The Lake Placid girls soccer team raced out to a two-goal lead in the first half, but wasn’t able to hold on as Ticonderoga surged to a 3-2 victory on Sept. 20.

Payton Barney gave the Blue Bombers a 1-0 advantage in the 14th minute when she took a pass from her sister Sam Barney. Adele Jesmer upped the lead to 2-0 seven minutes later with the assist going to Jillian Goulette.

From there, it was all Ticonderoga as the Sentinels racked up three goals in a 10-minute span of the second half to take a 3-2 lead. Kylie Austin struck first in the 17th minute, then scored another on a penalty kick not in the 18th minute. Savannah Bezon scored what would become the game-winner at the 26:21 mark.

Lake Placid outshot Ticonderoga 11-8 in the game, but was unable to produce a goal in the second half.

Lizzie Bimonte stopped three shots in goal for Lake Placid. Sadie Hamel was credited with seven saves for the Sentinels.

The loss came in the wake of the Blue Bombers first defeat of the season on Sept. 18 against Chazy. Lake Placid is now 3-2-1.