Region 1-3A girls: Pensacola rolls past Arnold

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Pensacola High delivered one knockout blow of the literal sense and then followed with another about 90 minutes later.

Arnold never recovered after losing standout defender Alivia Schnoering very early in the contest Tuesday night, and the Marlins fell 3-0 to Pensacola in a Region 1-3A quarterfinal showdown at the Mike Gavlak Sports Complex.

The District 2-3A champion appearing in the postseason for a ninth consecutive season, Arnold ended 12-5-3 overall. Pensacola (13-10-3) travels to Choctawhatchee, which won at West Florida on Tuesday, in a region semifinal on Friday.

Tianna Little scored a pair of goals for the Tigers, who were the runners-up in District 1-3A. Pensacola’s Tori Bergosh also scored as the Tigers capitalized on Arnold’s defensive breakdowns.

A centerpiece of the Marlins’ defensive back row, Schnoering left the game in the fourth minute of the first half with concussion-like symptoms after she butted heads with a Pensacola player. Schnoering, who often defends the opposing team’s top scoring threat, remained on her back for several minutes before walking off the field with assistance.

“The people who play in the back get no credit,” Arnold coach James Gardner said. “(Schnoering was) a rock on this team this year. It showed tonight just how important she is.”

Gardner tried using several different players in Schnoering’s place but to no avail. Kirsten Crowley, who finished her career with 114 goals but also is a standout defender, played most of the first half as part of Arnold’s rear guard. The Marlins’ offense was rendered punchless without Crowley’s presence up front, however, and Pensacola ultimately preserved and then extended its lead.

“This team had to play a certain way to be successful,” Gardner said. “We have to put certain people in certain places. We couldn’t do that. But we still had chances up until the very end.”

Little scored her first goal in the game’s 10th minute following a pass from Tori Marsh. Little flicked the ball to dribble past Arnold goalkeeper Autumn Jaworski and quickly put her right foot on the ball to shoot into an empty net for a 1-0 lead.

Pensacola maintained its one-goal lead until 13 minutes remained in the game. Anne Smiley sent a pass across the 18-yard box in front of Arnold’s net, and Bergosh was there to finish the play with a goal.

Little added her team’s final goal six minutes later after an assist from Molly Ambrose.