Holst’s late launch lifts Radnor over Strath Haven

NETHER PROVIDENCE >> With about 15 minutes left Thursday, Radnor coach Mike Welsh made a switch.

Sensing a lull in the constant waves of pressure and possession that Strath Haven had bombarded his team with all night, Welsh gave the signal to Maura Holst to push forward. Instead of sitting and solidifying Radnor’s stout central midfield, she should push up, take the space behind the forwards and shift the numbers of the attack whenever possible.

Holst’s response was exemplary.

Holst cashed in on the escalating pressure with an exquisitely placed shot, turning and shooting from 28 yards out and lofting a perfect chip off the inside of the far post and out of the reach of All-Delco goalie Katie Fisher for the only goal in a 1-0 Central League win.

In a territorial game played under constant rain, Holst’s moment of brilliance in the 73rd minute won an otherwise taut affair, handing the Panthers (6-3, 5-1) their first league loss.

The adjustment came with about a quarter hour left. Most of the afternoon, Radnor (5-3-2, 3-1-2) was back on its heels, fending off the Panthers’ sustained pressure.

Sensing an opening, Radnor took to the offensive. Where center forward Raquel Razavi had been left to run the line mostly by her lonesome, Welsh pushed Julianne Puckette higher and coaxed Holst to find pockets of space to play 1-2s and pry open a solid Haven defense.

The Fordham-bound Holst needed only the slightest window to launch her seventh goal of the season. She took a few touches in the center of the park to create space, then turned and struck a perfectly-weighted shot that even Fisher had no chance to stop.

“I think we were really just thinking more offensively,” said Holst, “because we knew we had a strong chance to win that game.”

The window was only opened by Radnor’s stellar play in the face of Haven’s pressure. Every question that the Haven attack asked of the defense was answered resolutely, led by Abby Lord and Eliza Azzarano in the center.

Their biggest accomplishment was keeping Lizzie King quiet. Radnor was ready for the Strath Haven forward’s speed, and with the midfield triumvirate of Holst, Allison Lanzone and Emily Games forming an effective bulwark for the back four, most of the throughballs that King’s speed allows her to latch onto were eliminated before posing a threat.

“We were told to breathe down her neck the entire game,” Lord said. “We were trying to keep her covered, make sure she didn’t have room to do anything and track her down when the ball went behind us, and I think we did a really good job of doing that obviously with the zero.”

King’s instances of breaking free were few and far between. Lanzone blocked a shot late in the first half after Julianne DeCarlo played her in with a lovely throughball, and King toe-poked a shot just wide before the break.

For all the running she put in, though, the payoff was minimal. Radnor goalie Alexa Solomon had to make just one save — on a Carly Glassford effort in the game’s first 65 seconds — and assertively rushed off her line to collect crosses on several occasions. But the shot total was hardly indicative of the possession Haven monopolized.

“It’s a little disappointing,” DeCarlo said. “We had the chances, we just couldn’t find the back of the net. But it happens. It’s just a little bump in the road. We dominated, we had our chances. Our heads are high.”

That bump, however, throws open the doors to the Central League title race. Haverford remains the only unbeaten team, with Penncrest, Radnor, Harriton and Strath Haven all possessing one loss.

Amidst that crowd, a little confidence can go a long way, and Radnor enjoyed quite the boost Thursday.

“It means a lot for us,” Lord said. “We’ve been in a slump lately. Scoring has not been our strong suit, and we’re just trying to come back. We’re staying strong, and I think this will give us a lot of momentum going forward.”