Published: March 12, 2008 01:52 pm            

Weatherford defense pitches shutout over Lady Panthers

The night air was not the only thing that was chilly Wednesday at Hall Field, as the Weatherford girl’s soccer team froze out the Paschal offense in an important District 4-5A game. With the first netter, and what would prove to be the winning goal of the match coming just 27 seconds into the contest, Weatherford fought off several second half incursions to down the Lady Panthers, 3-0.

“Absolutely, this was a big win for us,” said Weatherford head coach Tyler Kernan. “Our defense has really held up all year.”

With the opening kick deep down the left side, Weatherford’s Katie Kuykendall fed the ball back into the middle, where Abbie Stratton drilled the net before even a half minute had elapsed on the game clock.

The Lady Roos continued to dominate possession in the opening minutes of the first half. Barely five minutes later, Kuykendall took the ball in front of the net on a pass from Caitlin Bessolo and scored the second goal of the half. That would conclude the scoring of the opening half, as the defenses both stiffened after the early goals.

On a couple of occasions, the Lady Panthers would find an opportunity with a lone player breaking through to have a shot at the goal. On both occasions, with two or more Lady Roos closing fast, the hurried shots went wide.

The Lady Roos defense stayed aggressive most of the half, allowing few serious penetrations in front of their own net. Protecting the goal has been the primary reason for Weatherford’s success this season thus far.

“We’ve had three district losses and all of those have come on shootouts,” said Kernan. “So, the defense hasn’t really faltered. It’s just when the offense sputters a little bit. We sometimes have trouble getting the ball in the back of the net. Lately, we have been on a roll.”

Striking early would be a theme for the night. Paschal, down only two goals after the break, had any thoughts about making a quick comeback dashed when Kuykendall ushered another shot into the net with a mere 23 seconds gone in the final period. Haley Crandall recorded an assist on the score.

The Lady Panthers made some noise late in the match, forcing Weatherford’s goalkeeper Rebecca Roth to leave her feet on a pair of impressive saves. Roth continued the shutout in the second half, replacing Samantha Brownlee after her flawless first period performance. Both keepers were helped by a Lady Roos field defense that kept Paschal at bay much of the game.

The win solidifies Weatherford’s place ahead of the Lady Panthers and keeps them close to the leaders of the district.

“This was a big game for us,” said Kernan. “[Paschal] is in fourth place and were just a game behind us, so this puts a little distance between us and them. We have [at least] a solid third place and, depending on the outcome [with Mansfield], a shot at second.

Mansfield remains a game up on the Lady Roos, beating Timberview Wednesday. Weatherford takes on the second-place Lady Tigers Friday at Mansfield in a 7:45 p.m. start.

        

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