The Lady Wildcats were trounced in 2018 by the Red Devils on their home pitch. Last year the varsity squad were no match for the much stronger Richmond program.
The Wildcats refused to accept that same result in 2019 and upset the Red Devils on their home pitch last night in a dramatic 4-3 win.
The stats:
Goals: Jordan Nichols (2), Grace Noble (1), Kloe Bolos (1)
Assists: Jordan Nichols (1), Jaime Stortz (1), Maegan Pearson (1)
Saves: Karlie Hahn (8) including an incredible blocked PK to hold the Wildcats lead.
The intense competition against bigger faster schools served as a great training ground for the Wildcats. They relied on good possession, ball movement, passing, and communication to have a very coordinated and effective attack results in 18 quality shots on goal by the forwards and midfielders.
The reliability of the defensive line was paramount to the team’s success. Claudia Mauntel, Laura Edwards, Taylee Conrad, Grayce Knapp and Kaitlyn Brunemann were outstanding. Adrienne Bundy was assigned the role to shut down the team’s top scorer and was able to rattle and frustrate the offensive of the Red Devils. She delivered a career topping performance .
Strategically, the team was well prepared for what was sure to be a fast-paced game on turf. Coach Adams shortened rotations and playing time in previous games earlier in the week to conserve the varsity player’s energy. The use of swing and JV players in other varsity matches was a tactical decision to prepare for the big test against Richmond. This was the 4th game of the week and the Wildcats ended up winning 4 out of 4 making this most successful week of soccer since Coach Adams took over the program.
The Lady Wildcats have not hit a mid-season dip in success. This is largely due the deep bench strength of players such as Paige Hall, Morgan Stewart as well as swing players earning quality time with the varsity squad such as Kaylin Knapp, Grace Kruthhaupt, Regan Noble and Kaitlyn Brunemann.
Courtesy of Wildcats Coach Cindy Adams.