Cultivating Christian Minds and Character
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Spring 2008 Season
Wildcats outrun Clayton Greyhounds!
In front of a standing room only crowd at Wildcat Soccer Stadium, the Westminster women made a solid case for a #1 district seed as they knocked off the Clayton Greyhounds by the score of 3-1. This game was one of the better total team efforts of the season.
It was a perfect day to watch a soccer game and the students came out in force to prove it. Both teams took the field needing a win to make an argument for earning the #1 seed in the district playoffs. Westminster opened the half with early pressure. At 1:56, Kenzie Pfitzinger set an early tone for the match as she broke in from midfield and rocked the crossbar from 15yds. The Wildcats maintained possession through most of the half which earned them several opportunities. At 24:09, Liz Crowell was robbed of a goal when her shot on a wide open net bounced off the leg of an unsuspecting defender and went wide of the net. The game featured lots of bumping, shoving, and the trading of elbows. The physical game only served to raise the temperature on the field which made the players more intent on winning every battle. At 29:18, the match was temporarily stopped as Leah Beck banged heads with another player. Leah sustained a cut above the eye which required medical attention. During the stoppage, the Westminster bench was assessed a yellow card and keeper Whitney Calvin was sent off the field for improper equipment. After play resumed, Whitney was allowed to return on the next Wildcat throw in. The stoppage had many concerned that Clayton would take away Westminster’s momentum. That fear held true briefly but not long enough to give Clayton any advantage. At 32:26, Ellie Moore broke the scoreless tie. Christine Ehrmann had carried the ball to the edge of the Clayton box where she drew a foul. On the free kick, Christine threads the ball through a gap in the defense to Lauren Probst whose shot rebounded to Ellie where she knocked it into the net for a 1-0 Wildcat lead. Reenergized, the Wildcats continued to pressure the Clayton defense. The pressure paid off at 35:36 when Christine’s corner kick slipped through the defense to Kenzie who deflected it Lauren for the follow up shot and goal for a 2-0 lead. Liz Crowell and Katie Haverstick were especially effective in the half as they utilized their speed to wear down the Greyhound defenders and force defensive mistakes.
The 2nd half started with Clayton desperate to score a goal to get back in the game. The Greyhound attack focuses on possessing the ball through the midfield and then distributing it out to one of their speedy wings. Leah, who returned to the field with a butterfly bandage on her head, was charged with shutting down one of the area’s leading scorers named Olivia Hayes from Clayton who is dangerous in the open field. Leah did a great job in keeping Olivia off the board. When Olivia did break free, both Tori Vanderheide and Haley Bettlach could be counted on to cover. Clayton’s only goal of the game came at 10:30 when their other scoring threat Sonja Gierada broke in on the right side and hit a high hard shot from 25 yds over keeper Calvin and into the net to tighten the score at 2-1. The one goal lead didn’t leave the crowd with a warm fuzzy feeling as the Greyhounds seemed to be gaining momentum. As the half wore on, the physical play by both teams drew the ire of the officials as they kept their whistles close. At 20:05, the Clayton bench was assessed a yellow card for a bit of over exuberant dissent. After the card, the tide seemed to turn back in the favor of the Wildcats. Christina Dohr was effective on the wing providing defensive stops and adding pressure in the attacking end. At 29:19, Lauren wrapped up the scoring after she picked up a ball that had come off a defenders chest and slipped a shot under the Greyhound keeper for a more comfortable 3-1 lead. The final 10 minutes of play featured lots of whistles as both teams continued to rack up the fouls. The game came to a close with the new #3 ranked Westminster Wildcats extending their winning streak to 6 games and looking good heading into next week’s Ritenour tournament.
The Wildcats take the field next week as they attempt a 3-peat in Ritenour’s Holly Goodman Tournament. Their first match is Monday @ 4pm at Ritenour’s north field. The team hopes you’ll take some time and stop by to cheer them on.
Game Stats:
Goals: Moore, Probst (2) Assists: Ehrmann(2), Probst Shots: Beck, Crowell, Ehrmann, Haverstick, Moore, Pfitzinger, Probst (4), Vanderheide Game Winning Goal: Probst Saves: Calvin (2)