Beifus, Griffin power Plainsmen to semifinal victory

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This article was published 24/05/2022 (1381 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jasmin Beifus hadn’t played striker before Tuesday’s playoff game and felt a little lost at first.

But it turned out 35 minutes was all she needed to learn the job and make her mark. The freshman hammered home a natural hat trick in the second half as the Crocus Plainsmen dropped the visiting Neelin Spartans 5-1 in the Brandon High School Soccer League girls semifinal.

“It feels really good, especially with the audience. It really keeps you going … because they’re cheering for you so loud,” said Beifus, who moved to Douglas from Germany at age two.

The Plainsmen move on to Thursday’s final against the top-ranked Vincent Massey Vikings, with the winner securing a spot at provincials in Winnipeg June 3-4.

Crocus might need a stronger start than it had on Tuesday, however, to stay alive. After 15 minutes without a shot on target, Neelin’s Sawyer Duncalfe collected a through ball at the halfway line and left the Plainsmen backline in the dust as she tucked the opening goal home.

But Crocus didn’t panic.

“We were just saying, ‘OK, this is yours. We got it on their side, don’t let it on your side. You got this,’” Beifus said. “… We just motivated each other.”

Five minutes later, Kiera Griffin dribbled past one defender and faked a shot to freeze another before blasting a shot from 28 yards out that slipped through the Neelin goalkeeper’s hands and into the net. Griffin struck again on a one-timer off a perfect cross to take a 2-1 lead into the break.

Beifus liked her teammate’s decision to shoot from distance.

“Either it goes in or it completely misses but you always got to take the risk if you’re a striker. You just got to go for it,” she said.

The Plainsmen nearly doubled the lead before a big save on a corner kick. They stayed near the penalty area for the ensuing goal kick and pounced on it. Griffin’s shot was blocked but Beifus collected the rebound and drilled it home.

She sniped again midway through the half, then nearly found her third after two dazzling moves to shake defenders down the right wing.

The effort paid off one more time in the dying seconds. Griffin rattled a shot off the crossbar and down to Beifus’s feet, then she spun off a defender and smashed it just inside the right post to head to the final with confidence.

“I really knew what I was doing then. The first half I was kind of lost,” Beifus said. “I got the hang of it.”

Beifus was in a new spot due to a few absences, but Neelin was hit harder by other commitments. A handful of Spartans were away for various reasons, including club volleyball nationals, leaving them with 10 players for the entire match.

FREE KICKS: The boys city title could find a new home this afternoon as the Vikings take their 1-0 lead into Game 2 of the best-of-three final against the five-time defending champion Plainsmen. The game was officially moved to Massey with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 is on Thursday.

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