Oct. 10th – Racking up the goals
We had another long road trip this weekend, heading to Cleveland State and then to Youngstown State. We had a nice eight-hour bus ride on Thursday, which can take a toll on the body. When movies, homework, reading and any other activity become boring we attempt to sleep on our two seats that, put together, are about four feet long and two feet wide. Maybe this is comfortable for the shorties, Kreuser and Canada, but not so much for those around average height on the team and taller.
Anyways, we played CSU the next evening. You would think we would be slow to start after the long bus trip but 20 minutes into the game we were up 4-0. It started 13 minutes in, when Kayla Dejardin played a ball from the corner of their left 18 yard box, tipped the bottom of the cross bar and into the goal over the goalie’s head, 1-0. Next was a goal was scored by Canada (Keara Thompson), a ball came across the top of the box, Canada ran onto it finishing it lower left corner, 2-0.
Our next two goals came from Hagen. The first one, I played the ball into her, her back to the goal, isolated (only one defender on her... Kreuser made a good run outside pulling their backs apart), she spun with the ball, past the defender and a nice shot past the keeper, 3-0. Just 48 seconds later, isolated again, she turned her defender and finished again, Kreuser delivering the ball to her this time, 4-0.
Later on in the first half the fifth goal came, Louise Varney burned three people, the fourth taking her out in the box leading to a PK which Talbert finished nicely.
The second half, some freshmen scored some great goals, starting with Laurel Ragalie. Receiving the ball about 25 yards out on the right side, she beat a defender and finished with a nice goal over the keepers head far post, 6-0. Finally, Chelsea Colling wrapped it up for us. Beth Steuer played a great ball dropping just over their backline, Colling ran onto and placed the ball past the goalie, 7-0.
I just want to add I was sitting on the sidelines as the seventh goal went in, stressing about how I was going to remember how they all happened!!
So beyond the scoring it was nice to see everyone get in and get some experience. Although CSU didn’t score it doesn’t mean they didn’t have chances... Leslie Deebach played goalie for us in the second half and was awesome. She made two superman saves that I would normally be saying only Kane is capable of. The first one was a diving save from a screened position, to grab a ball that was heading upper left corner. Second one their player got in on a breakaway and Deebach came out to completely strip the girl, stopping the ball dead in her hands. Nothing but confidence knowing that’s our back up keeper!
Saturday—City Sight Seeing
Unfortunately I was stuck doing homework all day on Saturday, but many of our players got to go out and see the city, which was within walking distance of our hotel. Many went to the mall, lakefront, rock and roll hall of fame, a science museum and IMax that I heard was really sweet, and the rest stuck around the hotel.
Sunday Oct 12th- YSU
YSU has struggled in the conference the past couple seasons, but is a difficult team to beat at their home field. It is in a football stadium so the field is shorter turf, skinnier and crowned, the ball spends a larger amount of time out of bounds. In the past we always struggle to get the scoring started.
However this our scoring continued through the weekend. Hagen found herself isolated, again, at the top of the box, multiple times even, so it was only a short time until she notched our first goal, 1-0. The second goal came from a corner played in by Sperl, the ball came onto the top of the box, where Kenzie headed it into upper left corner, 2-0.
The third goal came from Kreuser playing it into Canada, who beat two players to get in on a breakaway, passed it to Hagen who flanked her on her left to beat the goalie, and Hagen put it away, 3-0. Ungreediness from the Canadian to give Hagen the goal and to tie the school record for most goals in a season, with our season still going!
We boarded back onto the bus... hands filled with goody bags from the Kane and Canadian clans (thank you guys so much again!!). Those goody bags make bus trips sooo much more enjoyable... it’s like being back in middle school, “I’ll trade you my popcorn ball for your Canadian smarties,” and then we counter, “How about your popcorn ball and two blow pops and I will make it a deal…”
A numerous number of hours later we arrived home and are starting to prepare for Butler next Friday, hopefully we will see you there!
Congrats to Sarah Hagen as Horizon League player of the week!
