Sometimes one is enough. One shot on goal and one goalie was enough for the girls soccer team to win its season opening game 1-0 against West Allis Hale Wednesday night in West Allis.
The Wildcats took its one shot on goal early in the game, and that single shot went into the West Allis Hale net. The play began when sophomore Maddie Lucey gained control of the ball in the center of the field. Lucey fired a pass to junior Libby Aik on the right sideline. Aik raced down the side deep into the West Allis Hale end. She crossed a pass toward the far post. Freshman forward Amber Baker was all alone as she ran in on the left side. Baker moved to the post just as Aik’s pass arrived. Baker calmly tapped it in before Hale’s senior goalie Sarah Hutcheson could move across. Time of the goal was 9:55.
Most of the game was played in the USM half of the field, as the Division 1 Huskies put constant pressure on the Wildcat defense. USM’s defenders, senior Elena Noyes, juniors Ellie Wigdale, Jenna Seter, Emily Hendrickson, Sally James and Margot Peterson, sophomores Teddy Hemberg and Caity Prewitt, and freshmen Julia Hanson and Catherine Jacobus held firm.
The Wildcats kept the Huskies to the outside, marked them tightly inside the 18-yard box, and cleared the ball quickly. They made few crucial errors. When they did they had Emily Wigdale. Like a vacuum, the Wildcats’ sophomore goalkeeper pulled in every shot the Huskies took and expertly cleaned up all defensive mistakes in front of the net. Wigdale made 8 saves in each half. Her 16 saves and her excellent effort made the difference. She gave her team the victory.
West Allis Hale is now 0-1. USM is 1-0. The Wildcats face another tough challenge when they host Grafton at 7 p.m. Friday.
