(Saranac Lake, NY) The Tigers played North Country CC today for their second non-region game of the season. The long trip up to Saranac Lake however, didn't slow down the Tigers. The girls really were able to connect and control the field well, even if the scoreboard doesn't reflect that.
The Tigers were ready to go and took it to the Saints all first half. The girls were able to connect passes and move the ball up the field with speed. Center mid-fielder and senior
Stephanie Dootz was winning 50/50 balls and controlling the middle of the field from the start of the game. With the help of the outside wings, freshmen,
Hunter Wellford and
Monica Guerrero, the Tigers were able to move and keep the ball in the Saints' defensive half. We struggled when it came time to find our forwards and had a hard time capitalizing on opportunities. When North Country CC transitioned into our defensive half, our defense was able to step up to the challenge and hold there own, with a blocked shot from defender
Rosie Witherell. Unfortunately, despite our strong defensive line, the Saints really knew how to get through the defense and capitalize well, scoring 3 goals by half time.
About halfway through the second half,
Kirsten Henning once again found the back of the net with an excellent shot on goal. With an assist from outside defender
Emily Sheehan on a great play, the Tigers finally were able to put numbers on the scoreboard. Freshman
Stephanie Roberts filled in for
Samantha Berger in goal during the second half after the Saints scored another 3 goals. She was able to pull off her goal line to clear the ball out and prevent a breakaway, doing an excellent job filling in. Offensively, the girls had many shots on and at goal during the second half that just fell short of the goal frame, and were unable to attain another goal for the scoreboard, finishing the game with a score of 6-1.
Overall, it was a good game and both teams put up a good fight. There was definite improvement among the team, and their playing together. The girls are really starting to mesh and play as a team together and it showed today on the field. Afterwards, Coach Bevivino had this to say about the game; "The Tigers fought hard for a full 90 minutes, and kept control throughout most of the game. The score, however, does not reflect how well the Tigers played against the Saints, with a final score of 6-1, the girls may not have come home with the win, but we know they played well and gave it there all. We know that we still need to work on finishing, but we will get there with time."
The Tigers' next region game will be next Sunday, October 4 at home in Brooklyn. The will be playing Nassau CC at Kingsborough at 2pm.
