Lady Wildcat soccer battles in 2-0 loss at Milton
MILTON, PA – The Central Mountain Lady Wildcat soccer team traveled to Milton, an opponent holding a 7-3 record and positioned in fourth place in the Heartland (Division 2) Conference heading into the Saturday game; the home team had to work hard to earn the 2-0 win.
The Lady Wildcats are continuing to build and show that they are getting stronger each game. Milton went up by one within the first half of the opening half, Kiahna Jones made a great save on the shot but couldn’t hold on to it and a player crashed the goal to net the first of the game. The Lady Wildcats settled in and the ball was played in the middle thirds of the field for the rest of the first half. With what the Blue and White thought was a penalty kick for them with one second left on the board, the referee whistled for the home side to have the advantage on the play. A bit controversial of a call but as noted by coach Ryan Veltri, it’s hard to change the minds of referees.
The second half was similar to the first, both teams traded opportunities to score. Milton earned a free kick that was converted to make it two for the Lady Panthers. The Lady Wildcats responded as they got into the attacking third and Lily Hendricks, with a great shot that shook the goal post narrowly brought the visiting team back into the game. There were a few more chances for both teams, but nothing that was dangerous enough to hit the net, as the rain began to come down to make it a proper soccer match.
The Lady Wildcats saw the return of Danica Kelly who had been out for a couple of games. It took only a few minutes for Danica and her partner Julia Smith to return to their tough defending combination play. Coach Veltri said, “The Lady Wildcats are showing growth daily and it is impressive how willing they are to commit to getting better every day.”
The JV team played in pouring rain at times, making it a little difficult to maintain control of the ball. The first goal came from the home side as they were awarded a penalty kick. Kaelynn Braun was able to get her hand on it but couldn’t stop it from hitting the net. Kendall Veltri found herself on a breakaway and was able to maintain her composure by slotting it past the keeper to tie the game. Milton was able to get two more goals before the final whistle to finish the game. The Lady Wildcats had a few opportunities but just couldn’t convert. It was a great response from the last match.
Central Mountain is scheduled to host Shamokin on Tuesday evening at Malinak Stadium.
