Borchers’ breakaway sends Edison girls past Liberty for Central Section soccer crown

With less than 10 minutes left and nothing but green grass ahead, Abigail Borchers knew the significance of the opportunity right in front of her.

The junior forward for Edison High’s girls soccer team had broken away from the pack after her team forced a turnover and it was one-on-one with the goalkeeper for the Central Section Division II championship.

Borchers buried the winning goal in the back corner of the net, giving Edison a 2-1 victory over Liberty-Madera Ranchos on Friday night at McLane Stadium.

She’s used to the pressure, having played for the U.S. under-16 girls national team.

But Borchers missed several chances earlier in Friday’s game; she blamed it on overthinking. “On that goal, I just focused on my instincts and just let it happen.”

Just minutes earlier, after trailing nearly the entire match, Liberty caught a break when an Edison defender committed a handball inside the 18-yard box.

Liberty’s Holly Strong converted the penalty to square the game before Borchers’ heroics helped secure Edison’s second consecutive Central Section championship.

Tigers coach Larry Hinz described his reaction as the final whistle sounded: “Elation and relief. My emotions just came pouring out and I started running. We were just thankful to come out on top.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2019 at 9:23 PM.