By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Thursday night the Merrill girls soccer team traveled to Ashwaubenon for some non conference action. The Jays would fight hard, however would lose by a final score of 3-0.
“The scoreline and stats are pretty deceiving here,” comments Merrill head coach Kyle Hahn, “We came out on the front foot against Ashwaubenon and had some good chances early on. It was pretty back and forth, but we just couldn’t put one in the back of the net.”
Merrill would struggle at the end of the first half and allow two goals. “We had a couple of mental letdowns late in the first half that Ashwaubenon capitalized on and saw us go into half down 2-0,” said Hahn.
“We gave up one more in the second half off a scrum in the box from a corner kick,” adds Hahn, “That’s a pretty simple thing we can address and clear up with some more practice. All in all our girls played well and it’s easy to see there will be plenty of opportunity for on-field success this season.”
Injuries played a bit of a role in the game for Merrill as coach Hahn explains, “We started the game missing two starters and ended the game missing four. Riley Smith, Gracie Brown, Emily Weix, and Vanessa Bayer all contributed off the bench and provided some valuable depth for us throughout.”
The Jays would be outshot 10-2 in the game, as goalie Kaylee Bowe finished the game with seven saves in a losing effort.
Merrill will be back on the field on Thursday, as they host Wausau West at 7 p.m.