CHANUTE — Region VI champions, part two. ACC’s women’s soccer earned their second straight region title, shutting out Pratt, 1-0, on the heels of some stingy defense and a well-placed goal midway through the first half. Allen’s Claudia Zahui, racing up the right side of the field, lofted a perfectly placed pass to Danielle Jeffcoat, who in turn blasted the ball past the Pratt goalkeeper. “It was just a beautiful ball from Claudia,” said Jeffcoat, a sophomore from Manapouri, Australia. Allen Community College Red Devil head coach Jeremy McGinnis agreed. “Claudia served it up back post,” he said. “It was a great finish to put it in the back of the net. Those volley shots are very tough. When you win a ball out of the air like that at this level, it’s an awesome thing. And it made a world of difference.” The game was tighter than it likely should have been, as Allen — which largely controlled the tempo from start to finish — missed out on a number of golden opportunities through a tense second half. Mia Evans hit the crossbar on a penalty kick, while Autumn Wyatt and Zahui both were just off on shots late in the match. “This could easily have been a 3-0, 4-0 win,” McGinnis said. Not that it mattered much, with Allen’s defense stifling Pratt’s attack. “We didn’t let many balls through, and didn’t give them many good looks.” The lone exception came moments after Allen missed on a free kick in the 68th minute. Pratt countered and attacked from the left side. But Allison Conrow, the reigning national goalkeeper of the week, made a dandy sliding save to her right to rebuff the Beavers. “Ally made a nice save,” McGinnis said. “Our defense is amazing,” Jeffcoat said. “We just need to keep our heads. As soon as we unplug, it can be tough, but we’ve been very good at it lately.” Jeffcoat admitted the difficulty against a team like Pratt, another team that prides itself in its defense.
CHANUTE — Region VI champions, part two.
