The Pacers dominate the Scots throughout and improve to 2-0 on the season.
The scoreboard said one thing.
Lakeridge girls soccer 2, David Douglas 0.
But the play on the field — at Lakeridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 13 — said much, much more. The Pacers dominated from start to finish, controlled possession throughout and outshot the Scots 15-5, with David Douglas managing just two of those shots before the final five minutes.
“I think we just played really well as a team,” said Lakeridge senior defender Julia Mindt, who assisted on her team’s first goal and set up its second. “Our energy was super high, and obviously, that made us play together super well.”
“We’ve been working on keeping our possession, keeping up the speed of play and our (style) of play,” said senior defender Molly Bachman, who helped the Pacer defense limit the Scots to just one shot on goal. “We were just good about passing (the ball) around and going forward when we needed to and not forcing it.”
“We have a lot of new players this year — half of our team is brand new — but I think we really connected tonight,” added sophomore midfielder/forward Mallory Ensing, who scored her team’s first goal on Tuesday. “We played as a team versus individuals for the first time.”
With the win, the team’s second straight, the Pacers improved to 2-0 overall. David Douglas, meanwhile, saw its one-game winning streak snapped and fell to 2-2 overall. Next up, the Pacers play at Mountainside (1-2-2 overall) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14.
While the Pacers dominated throughout the contest, they didn’t reach the scoreboard until Ensing scored with 19 minutes, 4 seconds remaining in the first half. Before that, Lakeridge fired off six shots against sophomore goalkeeper Evelyn Hollingsworth — four on goal — and racked up three corner kicks in the night’s first 20 minutes.
But then, Mindt sent a long free kick into the Scots’ penalty box and Ensing ran onto it and redirected it home at the right post for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
“Julia played a really nice ball into me in the back after a foul was called and I just ran on to it and flicked it in,” Ensing said of her first goal of 2022.
While the Scots didn’t manage their first shot on goal (by sophomore midfielder/forward Katee Huskic) — indeed, their first shot of the game — until the final four minutes of the first half, Mindt very nearly scored a second goal for Lakeridge when she launched a 40-yard free kick that rebounded off the crossbar with five minutes left in the period.
The Pacers didn’t wait nearly as long to get their second goal, however. Mindt hit a 25-yard free kick off the right post six minutes into the second half and junior midfielder Ella Murchison connected past Hollingsworth on the follow-up shot to make it 2-0 with 33:41 left in the contest.
Lakeridge kept the pressure on the rest of the way, and though the Pacers didn’t score again — thanks in great part to Hollingsworth, who made nine saves for David Douglas — they didn’t need to either.
While happy with their second straight win, the Pacers said they would remain focused on getting better as the Three Rivers League season approaches in October.
“I think it really just comes down to us being able to play together and keep our composure and get the ball forward, but also really just staying a team, like a Pacer family in a way,” Bachman said.
“We wanted to go into this game with a high mindset, playing quickly, playing fast,” Mindt added. “(The key is) just our willingness to compete and put ourselves out there, to try and compete for … a title this year.”
See the complete slideshow from this game here.
See the Photo of the Day from this game here.
See the Play of the Day from this game here.
See all the photos from this game here.
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