Lady Wildcat soccer opens with road win at Penns Valley
SPRING MILLS, PA – The Central Mountain Lady Wildcat soccer team opened the 2023 season on the road Thursday, facing returning District 6 Class A champions Penns Valley and came home with a 3-0 win.
The first half resembled the pre-game expectations in that opening day jitters and navigating a grass field. With this week’s preparation, training on the grass proved to help the Lady Wildcats adapt quickly and present their style of play. The first half had two turning points, one for each team. The Lady Wildcats struck first with a great ball into the attacking third to Lily Hendricks who played the ball across the frame of goal where two Lady Cats pounced on the ball but unfortunately, put the ball over the net. The visiting team found themselves in the right spot but were not clinical enough to hit the net. The second turning point was in favor of the home side. A Lady Wildcat got to the ball late inside the box and a penalty kick was awarded. Luckily for the Lady Wildcats, the shot missed the goal entirely. A near chance for the Lady Cats towards the end of the half came from a ball played into Jaz Anderson, her shot was heading for the net but was saved by the home team’s goalkeeper. The first half ended with both teams not able to find the net but advantage had to be to the visiting team as the ball was played almost entirely in the middle and attacking thirds.
The second half started with the same flow as the first, the ball was lost in transition often from both teams without much possession. The home side was awarded a second penalty kick as a handball in the box was called. Yet again, the home team missed, this time going over the goal. The momentum suddenly switched to the visiting Lady Wildcat soccer team. The Lady Wildcats put more pressure on the home side’s defense. Jaz Anderson smacked home her first of the season and the first goal of the game about mid-way into the half, putting the Lady Wildcats ahead for what would be the remainder of the game. Not long after, Taylor Campbell found herself on top of the box with room to shoot, there was nothing the goalkeeper could do but watch it hit the back of the net. As the half was closing down, Halle Lodek found herself in scoring position once again, this time capitalizing on a well-placed shot that the goalkeeper couldn’t save; that put the Lady ‘Cats up, 3-0. A few more goal scoring attempts by Lily Hendricks, Halle Lodek, Kendall Veltri and Taylor Campbell kept the home side on their heels.
Strong defensive play headed by Julia Smith, Archie Walker, Sarah Hall and Elise Cygan kept the home side from any real clear-cut opportunities. Strong physical play by Danica Kelly and some really good passing from Samiah Anderson kept the ball in the attacking half for the remainder of the game. Morgan Temple, Paige Confer and Haleigh Peters all ran their legs off to help keep the ball out of the defending area. Madison Hardy recorded her first Varsity shutout in goal making a total of five saves.
Unfortunately, during the referee meeting, the Lady Wildcats found out that they would not have a second game as the home side did not have enough players to commit to a JV game. Next game will be the home opener against Bald Eagle Area, another contending team for District play-offs and who beat the Lady Wildcats a year ago. The game will be on Saturday, September 9 with a varsity start of 5:30 p.m. and a modified JV game to follow.
