Cultivating Christian Minds and Character
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Fall 2008 Season
Wildcats score two goals in second half against Lutheran South
Wildcats Take Time To Gain Win
The Wildcats took their sweet time to score but they got the goals they needed to secure a 2-0 win against Lutheran South in the last home game of the season. The victory capped a highly successful regular season record of 11-4 and brings the team together as they head into district playoffs.
Prior to the game, the players from last season chose to officially “welcome” the new players with an early morning practical joke. A pre-dawn kidnapping brought the newbies to a home where they prepared breakfast for the entire team. Afterwards, they were each dressed in an unusual, offbeat outfit which they would wear for the remainder of the day. At school, the ladies sang the National Anthem for the entire cafeteria during lunchtime. To cap the day off, the entire team sent Coach Smith a message of gratitude by wrapping his car in plastic wrap and topping it off with a little shaving cream. I’m sure Coach Smith will look for his own opportunity to return the favor.
The game with the Lancers began under cloudy skies and unusually chilly temps in the low 50s. Westminster took early control of the match by playing a solid game of possession. Going on the attack early, senior Ellie Moore thumped the crossbar at 4:20. The team worked the ball effortlessly out of the backfield into the attacking end. However, the Lancers solid defensive work kept the more serious threats at bay. When the Wildcats did manage a shot on goal, the Lancers keeper was in position to make the save. Midfielders Katie Haverstick and Liz Crowell set up many of the opportunities of the match with on target crossing passes into the box. The best chance to score in the half came at 36:52 when Kenzie Pfitzinger carried the ball deep and wide of the box on the right and fired a shot across her body that surprised everyone including the keeper when it rang hard off the far post and squibbed along the goal line before going out of touch. The half ended quietly and Westminster wondering when their good work was going to pay off.
The 2nd half began much like the 1st with early pressure, lots of shots, but still no goals. Christine Ehrmann in one of her better games of the season added another offensive threat as she pinched deep into the attacking end and sent shots and crosses towards the net. Defensively, the Wildcats gave away few opportunities by forcing the Lancer attack far and wide of the net. As the clock ticked away, the Wildcats continued piled up shots on goal but got nothing for the effort. The seniors on the team grew nervous as overtime started to appear on the horizon. With the Senior Recognition dinner set to begin, the players needed to do everything they could to avoid being late. With less than 10 minutes to play, all of the work finally paid off. At 31:00, Ellie scored with a one timer off Christine’s corner kick to make the score 1-0. Needing to make the win secure, the Wildcats turned up the heat. At 33:30, Lauren Probst received a target pass in the middle of the box. With her back to the goal Lauren sent a square pass to her left where a charging Kenzie slammed a hard shot deep into the left corner of the net for a solid 2-0 lead. Keeper Whitney Calvin had little to do in this game. However, she showed why she is one of the top keepers in the area when she broke up a 4 on 1 breakaway by sliding out to the edge of the box to swipe the ball off the foot of a Lancer attacker at 35:57. The save took what little air the Lancers had left in their sails and the game came to a quiet end.
This is the last home game for seniors Jennifer Babb, Danielle Zee-Cheng, Liz Crowell, Tori Vanderheide, Tess Fitzpatrick, & Ellie Moore. These women were honored the night before at a team dinner. Each received some kind words, a flower, and a picture as a remembrance.
The team now heads into the district playoffs. By earning the #1 seed, the team secured a first round bye. This means their first game will be played on Wed 5/14 @ 5pm at John Burroughs School where they will take on the winner of the Brentwood / MICDS game. Student support in the district playoffs has been huge in the last few years. The team hopes the entire Westminster community will extend this support this year and show up in full force to cheer the team on to victory!
Game Stats:
Goals: Moore, Pfitzinger Assists: Ehrmann, Probst Shots: Beck (2), Crowell (4), Ehrmann (2), Haverstick, Moore (3), Pfitzinger (4), Probst (2) Game Winning Goal: Moore Saves: Calvin (2)