G-Prep rebounds to beat Jackson, take third place

The artificial turf of Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood posed a challenge for Gonzaga Prep in a State 4A girls soccer semifinal on Friday, but the Bullpups had no such hangups on Saturday.

Gonzaga Prep shut out Jackson, 2-0, in the game for third and fourth places at the Class 4A girls state soccer championships.

“We were disappointed on Friday, it was our first time on artificial turf. But today we got it together,” Prep coach Christian Birrer said.

Birrer gave all 20 of his players an opportunity to play, which proved to be a successful game plan when junior forward Sarah Jennings scored in her 10 minutes of playing time.

Jennings, who has an injured back, scored in the sixth minute, putting a shot past Timberwolves goalkeeper Dee Wood.

Senior midfielder Alex Butler secured the win for Gonzaga (17-2-1) when she scored in the 62nd minute, with an assist from Caitlin Davis.

“It went really well for us,” Birrer said. “We were disappointed about our loss (to Stadium Friday), but it is nice to end the season on a winning note and get as far as possible.”

It was the 16th shutout of the season for Gonzaga goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters. “I was really confident, after (Friday) there was no holding back,” Kuhar-Pitters said.

Jackson finished fourth with a 14-6-1 record.

Bellarmine Prep beat Stadium 5-1 to win the 4A title.