Dreadnaughts and Hornets Battle to a Draw

The Dexter Dreadnaughts and Saline Hornets kicked, ran and battled for eighty minutes, but neither team was able to gain the advantage as the two teams finished Thursday night’s game 0-0.  Physical play and aggressiveness dominated the night for both teams.

“Any good team, you know it’s going to be close, you know it’s going to be physical.  We knew that coming in, and we could have been more physical in the first half; it could have gotten us going earlier,” said Saline head coach Dana Restrick.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that had no clear advantages.  Saline’s offense took the ball early, but the Dreadnaught defense collapsed in on the Hornets and did not allow for many quality shots on keeper Zaryn Jennings.  Dexter had its own offensive chances, but Saline’s defense was up to the challenge, and Amanda Price stopped everything the Dreadnaughts threw at her.

“Our defense has really been coming together.  We gave up a lot of goals early in the season, I think our back three have been playing really great and playing together,” said Restrick.

After the break, Dexter came out and attacked.  They controlled the tempo of the game for the opening minutes.  Hayley Reynolds, substituted in goal for the Hornets, stopped the barrage with some help from an improving Saline defense. 

“We were a little frantic at one point of the first part of the second half, but we weathered it.  We got more composure and played better balls so we weren’t just kicking them out, we possessed them,” said Dexter’s Scott Forrester.

The Hornets regained control of the offensive and the momentum around the 12:00 mark.  They pressured the Dreadnaughts relentlessly, coming close time and again, but Jennings stood tall and kept Saline off the board.  When the final horn sounded, neither team had put one past the keeper and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

“Every player brings their own strength to the game; that’s what teamwork is, that’s what the game is,” said Forrester.

Saline travels to Lincoln to face the Railsplitters on Tuesday, May 17, while Dexter travels to Pioneer for a double header.