Right from kick-off, Lady Bucs FC were all over the Bulldogs (Lady Bulldogs? I don't know the official descriptor, so let's just go with that.) They had the lion's share of possession, out-shot TN-Wesleyan by a 21-2 margin, and put all kinds of pressure on the back line, which did an admirable job of holding back the ETSU attack for the first 34 minutes. In fact, the way the Ladies were generating so many chances that they failed to capitalize on, it looked like the law of averages would kick in and Lady Bulldogs would score first.
Right after I said that, Samantha Kron cashed in with a fantastic goal straight off a corner. Maybe it's just because I'm fairly new to this sport (I've been watching for about four years now), but that's the first time I can recall seeing someone score straight off a corner like that. It caught me completely off-guard.
The Lady Bulldogs added to their own problems when Abby Fannin (That was the name on the score sheet, although there are about seven different #24's playing for UTW depending on which source you use) knocked the ball off of keeper Chelsey Baxter into her own net just three minutes later. There wasn't really much she could have done about it: the ball just took a funny hop when she tried to pass it back.
It took less than a minute for ETSU to add another one, when some great work in the midfield by the Goffe sisters led to Ramey Kerns' second goal of the season. Senior Morgan Jutras was also credited with an assist on the goal (although she was initially credited with the goal itself in-house before a scoring change at the break).
The Ladies added one more, a header from Kelly Brinkman from about ten yards out that found its way in. It was a really strong header amid the massive scramble off a corner from Kron, and it was strong; she was on line with the penalty spot and the ball didn't touch the ground until it hit the back of the netting. That takes some strength from that far out.
This is a game to remember for ETSU when they get into conference play. I don't recall ever seeing a coach quite so relaxed and upbeat, even after a big win, as Henson was tonight. She laughed and joked with the production crew and the SIDs and even some of the fans. Most coaches are in a hurry to get out of the camera eye, but Henson stayed and answered every question BSN had for her. To paraphrase her, there are still things they can and should work on for conference play, still defensive breakdowns and some squandered opportunities, but a result like this is always great.
I absolutely agree with her, but let's put things in perspective here. The quality of the team they faced is probably not what they're going to be facing on a regular basis in A-Sun play (although they did have some talent up front; there are some men's teams that would have a hard time containing a player with the skill and pace of Helen Collins). It was their first game of the year. This is a great win, certainly, a victory that was much more lopsided than I had expected when I walked through the gates this afternoon.
Some other observations from tonight's game:
The youth movement was out in force. The Goffe sisters, Ramey Kerns, Kayla White, and Samantha Kron really stood out as possible impact players as early as this year. Kerns and Kron have already made an impact, and the Goffes could be key players for the transition game once conference play keeps going. Only Kron started, but with the flexible substitution rules in college soccer, it's not impossible for a player to make an impact off the bench.
Henson used the Little League rule tonight, as every player on the roster saw time on the field (certainly a great way to take advantage of the substitution rules to get players down the depth chart some playing time). I can't really say anyone played very poorly, either.
Tonight's starting XI:
Masch
Thomas-Kron-Altimier-Meehan
Brinkman-Petersen-Bickel
Huntington-Van Horn-Miller
Thomas-Kron-Altimier-Meehan
Brinkman-Petersen-Bickel
Huntington-Van Horn-Miller
That's all for tonight.
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