Class L 2nd round: Offense carries Centaurs to victory

An offensive explosion carried the Centaurs into their first Class L girls soccer quarterfinal match since 2003 as they downed Daniel Hand in Madison in a second-round contest, 8-3.

"We could not be more proud of the team for the season so far," Woodstock Academy coach Dennis Snelling said. "It is amazing to get to the quarters and be playing this late in the year."

The Centaurs will be back on the road on Saturday, playing against third-seeded Wethersfield. The Eagles just got past No. 19 Guilford on Thursday, 1-0.

Grace Gelhaus scored five goals and added two assists for Woodstock Academy (14-4-2) which broke out to a 3-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of the match.

That lead would increase to 5-1 at halftime but the Tigers scored two of the three goals that took place in the first 6:13 of the second half to cut the deficit to three goals, 6-3.

Gelhaus added her final two goals to put the win away for Woodstock Academy.

"The game felt close and competitive throughout," Snelling said. "To score eight goals on a perennial Class L powerhouse is an unexpected yet unsurprising accomplishment for our offense."

Leah Costa added a hat trick for the Centaurs while Rebecca Nazer, Lennon Favreau, Juliet Allard and Freya Robbie contributed assists.