The Bluejays girls took another pair of tough losses last week, dropping a 2-0 game to Wis Rapids Assumption on Tuesday and falling 10-0 to D.C. Everest on Thursday. Merrill dropped a 9-0 contest in Monday’s rematch with the Evergreens
“It was so exciting watching/coaching this game,” MHS coach Steph Nelson said. “Man, was I jacked up. The girls did so many wonderful things; great defense all over the field, they were aggressive/physical, our defenders were getting into the offense, our mids/forwards were making great runs and giving great balls into the gaps.
“We had so many close opportunities; it doesn’t reflect it in our shots, but it’s only because the keeper cut off runs before we could get a legitimate shot on goal, or it was deflected right away by a defender.”
Merrill finished with 3 shots, although none were on goal. Assumption put 6 on goal and another 12 off-goal.
The Royals broke a scoreless tie with 30 seconds left in the first half on a direct kick from a foul. They made it 2-0 with a run in the 49th minute.
“(Merrill goalkeeper) Taylor Hudzinski cut off a lot of balls that would have resulted in more shots on goal,” Nelson said. “Their assistant coach gave us a great compliment, that ‘we gave them the best competition that they’ve seen all year.’
“After the past few games that we’ve had, I was afraid that the girls were starting to get discouraged, but last night they proved to me that they have a lot of heart and no quit in them. They want to improve and the work that they’re putting into games and practices shows their desire. I was so proud of the way they bounced back from Monday’s game, and didn’t let Assumption’s goals get them down; it just fired them up to push harder.”
Nelson got caught up in the moment.
“The other team probably thought I was going into labor or having a seizure or something at times!” she said. “I had fun coaching and the girls had a lot of fun playing. It may have been a loss, but we’re chalking it down as a moral victory. They looked great and it makes me excited for upcoming games. If we keep improving from this, we’re going to heat up just at the right time.”
Mount Everest
The Jays lasted the whole game in Monday’s reprise, after holding the Evergreens to a 3-0 lead at the half.
“(Monday) night went a lot better than last Thursday,” Nelson said. “While they were still getting a lot of shots, the defense and mids did a great job of not allowing them an easy shot or pushed them to make a shot that wasn’t on goal.
“In the second half we went a little south; we had a 10 minute period where it seemed like we couldn’t do much right, but by the end of the game we picked it up and started making more attacks at their goal. We didn’t get any shots or shots on goal, but we were at least sending the ball up on their side of the field and making them a little nervous.
“So we are baby-stepping our way through the season; we improved from the last game by playing the whole game and only allowing a 9-0 score. It definitely seemed as though we frustrated them in the first half. Now, hopefully, we can put a whole game together to improve the look of our games even though we played well.”
Second-place Everest improved to 6-1 in the Valley, while Merrill dropped to 0-6.
“D.C.E. is a very good team,” Nelson said. “Probably about seven of their goals were pretty goals derived from excellent passing, ball handling and shooting. Taylor had another solid night, saving eight and cutting off quite a few other opportunities. Taylor LaBorde also had a very smart game at defense shutting down the middle of the field where they love to play.”
Everest built a 7-0 lead in the first half of Thursday’s game before closing it out in the 65th minute.
“We didn’t play bad by any means, but D.C.E. still mercy ruled us,” Nelson said. “It’s really hard going up against teams like this and walking away knowing that we tried our best, but the score doesn’t reflect it.
“Towards the end of the game we were putting a lot of pressure on their defense; Sydney Harris had some great balls to Katie Pintens and Anna Litschauer, but their defense or keeper snuffed them out.”
Everest took 27 shots, 19 on goal. Hudzinski made 9 saves. Merrill got off 2 shots.
Kayla Huber and Elise Thuot each scored 2 goals and Bri Widmer gave 4 assists.
Assumption was 5-0 overall.