FPD’s Nelson right on target, just in time

In a game when good shot attempts were getting denied at both ends of the field, it seemed unlikely that a looper from 25 yards out would decide things.

Yet, with a little less than seven minutes to go in FPD’s GHSA Class 1A girls soccer semifinal against Paideia on Tuesday, Elizabeth Nelson saw an opening from a 45-degree angle that others watching from other vantage points might have thought didn’t look so open.

Nelson locked onto an attempted Paideia clearing pass, took one dribble and let loose on goal. The ball looped over the head of Paideia goalkeeper Nora Sampson into the upper left corner of the net.

 Three who mattered

Nelson: Simply put, the junior midfielder was in the right place at the right time. Paideia had just poked the ball away from another FPD player, and the Pythons were looking to start their attack the other way. But the first Paideia pass went to Nelson, who immediately saw a scoring opportunity.

Caylee Ann Sutton: FPD’s junior goalie recorded another clean sheet, picking up two saves on seven Paideia shots.

Jordan Gross: The Paideia defender preserved a scoreless game midway through the first half when she cleared an FPD shot out of the goal mouth just in the nick of time. Video showed that the ball was almost — but not quite — across the goal line when she cleared it with a bicycle-like kick. For a goal to count, the ball has to completely cross the goal line.