No. 6 Coe-Brown 2, No. 11 Milford 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Alex Readel (6 saves, assist), Brady Kouchoukos (goal), Nate Ford (goal); Milford – Leo Goguen (14 saves)
Highlights: After going down a goal, Coe-Brown began generating more dangerous chances. In scrum in Milford’s box that was handled by Spartan defender on its way into the net resulted in a penalty kick. The Bears converted the penalty kick to tie the game and the Milford player was sent off for the handball in the box. From then on, Coe-Brown had the majority of attacking chances and netted the game-winner in Wednesday’s prelim. The Bears will play at No. 3 ConVal in Sunday’s quarterfinal.
Coach’s quote: “The playoffs are so unpredictable. With the wet, sloppy conditions, it added an additional factor. Nonetheless, our guys handled the adversity of going down a goal. Without panicking, our players found the game a bit better, especially after we shifted formations. Milford played down a player for two-thirds of the game and maintained a strong performance. They really left it all on the field, and (Goguen) stood on his end. It was really impressive to witness. In the end, our team did enough to get the win. Our players stood by one another and stayed positive throughout the match. I sensed our guys felt a lot of pressure to not lose tonight, which is why we started slow. I think when we travel to ConVal on Sunday, the pressure will be shifted to them. They are expected to win, but we think we match up well. With our health back and some momentum, it will be exciting to see Sunday’s performance.” – Coe-Brown’s Christian Gompert
Records: Coe-Brown 11-4-2; Milford 6-11-0