After 52 minutes of hard-fought soccer, the girls soccer team eventually managed to push past crosstown rival Battle’s defense and improve to 3-0 on the season. With just 28 minutes left in regulation, the Bruins finally drove one of their 29 shots past the Spartan goalkeeper, finishing the game with a score of 1-0. RBHS head coach Gary Drewing said he was very pleased with the way the team played and improved from their past games.
“We played very well and grew a lot as a team last night,” Drewing said. “We’ve played several teams in a row that have been compact and organized in the back, with a good keeper in goal. We figured out how to find space against that type of team and created a lot of chances.”
The team improved on its passing and kept possession of the ball for most of the game. Freshman forward Payton McCallister said that the team has been working on moving to make sure they can get the ball into space on offense and working to make sure every opposing player is marked up on defense.
“Overall, I think we did okay but it’s still early in the season,” McCallister said. “It is a journey, not a sprint. We were strong as a team with our passing and field awareness.”
Junior defender Ronni Farid agrees with McCallister, adding that the hard work the team has been putting into practices seems to be showing. Farid said the team controlled the ball very well and the chemistry between the team members is growing. However, Farid said the team could still work on polishing their skills.
“As a team, we can work on finishing,” Farid said. “But we are definitely in good shape. We could also be better conditioned, but who doesn’t.”
Drewing agreed with Farid that the team needs to work on finishing, citing the fact that while the team took 29 shots, only one made it past Battle’s goalie, although he did give a lot of credit to the goalie’s skills. Drewing said that the team could also improve on getting in behind defenses, taking a huge step in the right direction with their performance.
“We’ve been working on it in practice,” Drewing said. “Having the team see it work in a game last night will help us have the confidence to execute it in the future. If we keep working hard it will come.”
By Derek Wang
Photo by Ashley Tanner