Week #34 - Senior Day Showdown: Excellent Effort for Varsity Girls Soccer!

V Girls Soccer - Nieve gained possession of the ball at midfield and Miller's defense was on high alert. It's the second time the two teams have met this year, and it's impossible not to notice how smooth Nieve is with the ball at her feet. As the first defender charged in Nieve's direction, she calmly placed her right foot on top of the ball and spun to her left. Almost instantly, the defender was behind her, and a second Miller defender ran full speed towards the ball. Nieve pushed the ball ahead, and with a burst of speed, left a second opponent in her wake. When the third defender arrived, she waited until that player was right in front of her, and then made a slick pass to Ruthie, who had set up shop on the right side of the box. With one strong, powerful touch, Ruthie sent that ball straight into the back of the net - and like Miller's defenders, the goalie had no chance. The sequence was true poetry in motion, and the Badgers took an early lead on Senior Night.

 

A few weeks back, Tandem played Miller on the road. The Badgers struggled in the first half, allowing Miller to get an early lead, and they were expecting the same to happen this afternoon. Tandem has improved and 20:00 in the game, the Badgers were dominating possession, and the scoreboard, on the strength of Ruthie's extraordinary goal. 

 

Miller took the opening kick-off towards Sophie and Catriona - and that was a big mistake. As usual, they were perfectly positioned, and Sophie tackled the ball away and made a beautiful pass ahead to Catriona. She found Nieve in the middle and with one touch, Nieve sent the ball to Althea who took on her defender and earned an early corner kick for Tandem. The Badgers kept their foot on the gas, as Maeve battled her opponent for the ball and earned a free kick.

 

As you already know, Juli is so fast - she took the ball away from Miller's speedy strikers, and then turned and set up the offense, and the Badgers earned another corner kick. Fans marveled at Juli's incredible speed and tenacity! Hadley fired the ball into Ruthie, who had another scoring chance, and the pressure Tandem was putting on the defense was immense. Ruthie and Maeve did a smooth give and go, with excellent passing, driving the defense nuts. Hattie pushed her way into the box, earning a free kick of her own.

 

When Miller was able to come the other way, they ran into Annie - who slammed the door. A powerful defender, Annie won the ball with regularity, and kicked it so hard that she immediately flipped the field. If it was not for Nieve in the middle, the ball would still be rolling.

 

Miller had a corner, but Nieve played the near post, gained possession, and sent the ball ahead to Althea who reset the offense. That's when the aforementioned goal occurred - Badgers up 1-0. Miller battled back, but Oliver continued to eliminate any shooting angles, getting save after save. Miller had a breakaway and got on the board late in the half, tying the game.

 

As Miller got some momentum going, they had to deal with Hattie, who broke up a corner kick and reset the offense. The Badgers were down 2-1 at the half, and Annie had an amazing highlight early in the second period. With Oliver coming out of the goal to take on a Miller striker, Annie snuck in behind and made an amazing save of her own, keeping the game within reach. What an incredibly smart play! The defense was incredible, and when Alex stepped in, the Badgers didn't miss a beat. Alex and Oliver were both excellent today in goal!

 

Late in the game, Hadley won every single ball, working closely with Taylor, who set up Zoey for a shot. Lola had an incredible throw in, fired the ball to Sam, who launched two different shots on goal in the final minutes. The Badgers played an excellent match on their home field - against a tough team - a fitting effort to celebrate our extraordinary seniors: Maeve, Lola, Taylor and Alex! Thank you for coming and celebrating them!