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Fall 2008 Season
Girls' Soccer - DISTRICT CHAMPS!!!
The Lady Wildcats of Westminster withstood a bruising attack by the Clayton Greyhounds and won the Class 1 District 6 championship trophy for the 2nd year in a row by the score of 3-0.
God is obviously a soccer fan because he provided the perfect weather for the championship match. Sunny skies and 70 degrees greeted the players as they were introduced to the crowd. As play got underway, it was evident both teams were dealing with nerves. Westminster pushed into the Clayton end but had difficulty stringing enough passes together to create any sort of threat. Clayton on the other hand worked the ball effectively out of their own end but struggled with penetrating the Wildcat defense. This resulted in lots of action in the middle third of the field and few chances for either team to score. With the limited chances it would be important to take advantage of any opportunity. Kenzie Pfitzinger would be the first to realize this importance. At 12:16, Kenzie was the first to realize this importance when she missed wide of an open net from 10 yds. At 17:02, Clayton too would miss on a golden opportunity when a miscommunication between the Wildcat keeper and a defender found the ball rolling towards the open net only to be cleared at the last second. At 35:11, Kenzie redeemed her earlier miss in big form when she busted through the Clayton defense to pick up a short pass from Liz Crowell and slipped it under the surprised keeper for a 1-0 lead. The Wildcat crowd was still buzzing about the goal as the half came to an end.
As the 2nd half got underway, Westminster was in the precarious position of needing to protect their lead while at the same time trying to extend it to relieve the pressure. With the Greyhounds pressing hard, the Wildcat defense led by senior Tori Vanderheide were exceptional in channeling the ball to the outside to keep it away from the high scoring duo of Olivia Hayes and Sonja Gierada. Additionally, Leah Beck was outstanding in her work to keep Olivia from breaking free with the ball. In spite of the extra attention, the talented Hayes did give Clayton a brief thrill at 27:02 with high hard shot from 30 yds that looked destined to find the net. Wildcat keeper Whitney Calvin made the save of the day when she perfectly timed her jump to punch Olivia’s shot over the bar. Whitney made another outstanding save on a deflected shot from Sonja from inside 10 yds. With the entire crowd on edge and the Wildcats sitting precipitously on a 1-0 lead, the clock could not count down fast enough. At 36:32, Lauren Probst broke the tension. After one of the few fouls called against the Greyhounds, junior Christine Ehrmann stepped up to take the free kick with the ball placed 40 yds out and near the sideline. Christine dropped the kick into a space left of the goal where Lauren came charging in to slip the ball under the keeper for a 2-0 Wildcat lead. With the game decided but the clock still ticking, senior Danielle Zee-Cheng added one more thrill when she floated a shot from 20 yds over the outstretched keeper at 39:58 to put Westminster up 3-0. Clayton battled till the end but it was all for naught as the official’s whistle sounded. The Wildcats ran on to the field to celebrate their 2nd consecutive district championship. After the trophy presentation and a few pictures, Coach Smith brought the team together for a prayer and words of gratitude for the team effort.
While this article mentions a few of the players with highlights, it should be noted that this victory (like every victory) was truly a team accomplishment. Each and every Westminster player that stepped on the field was subject to a punishing style of attack from Clayton that is sure to leave many of them battered and bruised. The ability to endure and overcome is a testament to the entire team. We are all proud of you.
The victory puts the Wildcats in sectional play where they will take on last year’s opponent, Trinity High School. The match will be played on Tuesday May 20th at 6pm at the Anheuser Busch Soccer Park in Fenton. So wear your Wildcat blue and come out to cheer loud n proud for the Lady Wildcats!
Game Stats:
Goals: Pfitzinger, Probst, Zee-Cheng Assists: Crowell, Ehrmann Shots: Crowell, Haverstick, Moore, Pfitzinger, Probst, Zee-Cheng Game Winning Goal: Pfitzinger Saves: Calvin (3)
Related: http://prepsports.stltoday.com/ssi/prep/stories200...
Last modified: 08/19/2008 12:21 pm