No score not the worst thing for Lady Hawks
When St. Thomas Aquinas visited Hiland High School for their girls soccer match-up Wednesday, Oct. 10, it didnt take a lot of effort on the behalf of scoreboard operator Alan Zinck.Even with the wind at their respective backs for a half, neither team could muster a goal in the scoreless tie.Thats soccer for you, said Hiland head coach Jesse Wengerd of the evening. We had some opportunities, not a lot, but some good looks that we just couldnt finish.While six shots may not seem like a lot, Wengerd said that because they were all quality looks, he can live with that number.I always tell the girls that Id rather have half the quality shots than just a bunch of Hail Marys.The Lady Hawks began the game and dominated time of possession and tempo, threatening more than Aquinas did. But Wengerd conceded that much of that success could be attributed to the wind, which was at the Lady Hawks backs for the half.They were a completely different team when they came out of the locker room after the half, said Wengerd of Aquinas. They came out and played better, harder, and the wind at their backs made a big difference. We still had opportunities but ever could put one away.Defensively, the Lady Hawks played solid all night long. Wengerd said that goalie Mackenzie Miller did a fine job in goal making several key stops.They had a couple of really dangerous kids out there who can move and score, but our defense has been playing very solid lately, said Wengerd. I feel like we can night in and night out count on them to get the job done. They are a bend but dont break kind of defense.With Miller playing well in goal, it was even more rewarding for the coach to credit a pair of defenders for making big-time plays that may have prevented some easy looks for Aquinas.I put Julee (Zinck) back at stopper for a while, and I feel like she prevented a goal, said Wengerd. She didnt come out at full speed and foul, and she didnt panic, she just forced the girl to take a wide angle and really cut down the angle she had to work with. The girl ended up kicking it out of bounds. She slid over just enough on a one-on-goalie situation and she did exactly what she needed to do to prevent the goal.He also praised Hailey Miller, saying of the junior defender, She made a really sweet play where she probably ended up saving a very good look at the goal too. Shes been so solid back there all year.With a win over Canton Central Catholic, a 2-0 loss to Waynedale in which they played well, and this scoreless tie, Wengerd said the pieces feel like they are falling together as they head into tournament play.With the defense gelling, it is just a matter of finding some net with a few shots to get over the hump.
