Every soccer coach will emphasize the importance of finishing the first half and starting the second half strong.
The W.F. West girls soccer team did just that on Tuesday in Woodland, scoring in the final moments of the first half before scoring two minutes into the second half to take control in a 2-1 win.
W.F. West coach Kevin Schultz said that the goal before half was “kind of a relief,” as he felt that the Bearcats had outplayed the Beavers throughout the half and noted that they had plenty of chances throughout the first 39 minutes.
In the 40th minute, Izzy Teeter connected with Ashlen Gruginski, who finally put the Bearcats on the board.
“I thought our front was very active creating chances,” Schultz said. “We just couldn’t find that breakthrough moment. It was a really nice moment before half.”
Right out of the halftime break, the Bearcats earned a free kick, and as the Beavers were attempting to clear, Ellie Mittge stepped up and delivered an impressive shot of her own to double the advantage.
“Our girls came off really confident and excited, and we carried that into the second half,” Schultz said. “Ellie ripped a shot. It was two really good goals. It’s what you want to see.”
Down 2-0, Woodland began to play with a little more pace and aggressiveness, and the Beavers ended up scoring on a penalty kick in the 63rd minute to cut the lead in half.
“The game kind of got sloppy for us,” Schultz said. “Because they got scrappy, we got really frantic, we were panicking instead of just staying calm and staying true to what we were doing. It’s a teachable moment for us.”
The Bearcats (2-0) will hit the road again on Thursday when they head to Elma.
