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Winter 2008 Season
Girls Soccer - Ehrmann and Pfitzinger lead Wildcats to State Quarterfinals!
Ehrmann & Pfitzinger Lead Wildcats To State!!
Christine Ehrmann had a goal and an assist and Kenzie Pfitzinger netted 2 goals to lead the Wildcats in a come from behind victory over a tough Trinity Titans team by the score of 3-2. The victory puts the Wildcats into the Missouri state quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
The game between the #3 ranked Wildcats and the unranked Titans was expected to be closer than the standings would indicate. From the opening touch, the Titans game plan was clear. They dropped team leading scorer Alicia Vonderheid into a defensive role in order to limit the Wildcat chances. The tactic was effective enough to prevent Westminster from logging a shot on goal until almost 20 minutes into the match. The Wildcats stuck to the game plan of patient possession as they waited for an opportunity to strike. At 24:40, the Wildcats thought they hit pay dirt with hard working goal. As they crowd cheered loudly for the apparent goal, the Titans keeper, under the direction of the official, placed the ball at the 6yd mark indicating that the goal had been called back for an offside call. With the fans still grumbling, Westminster continued to press forward. At 32:30, Christine gathered up a Titan clearing attempt and launched it back towards the net from 40+ yds where it floated over the defense and bounced in front of and then over the Titan keeper and into the net for a 1-0 Wildcat lead. This goal would not be called back. With the Titans back on their heels, the Wildcats threw everything on net. Liz Crowell and Lauren Probst had shots 20 seconds apart that were mere inches away from giving Westminster another goal. As the half ended, all in attendance wondered if the 1 goal lead would stick.
The 2nd half began with Westminster attacking the north goal into a slight wind. The play of the teams turned more physical but remained similar in style. At 8:25, a Titan player was given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle from behind. Senior Ellie Moore owned the midfield by winning almost all of her 50-50s and by providing a steady stream of feeder passes for the attack. Leah Beck was solid again as she switched between offensive and defensive roles. The Wildcat defense of Christine, Haley Bettlach, and Christina Dohr was forced to play without the injured Tori Vanderheide. The defense offered little opportunity for the Titan attack to gain any ground and gave up a total of 3 shots the entire match. As the half played on, Trinity’s desperation grew and they looked for any chance to get the ball on net. At 22:30, keeper Whitney Calvin made a huge sliding kick save after a Titan attacker had broken through. The kick save found its way back out to a Titan midfielder who floated a shot over the recovering Calvin and into the net to tie the score at 1-1. The rejuvenated Titans could smell blood in the water and went on a full fledged attack. With the Wildcats moving in the wrong direction, the Titans took less than 3 minutes to score again. At 25:06, a Trinity corner kick found its way through a thick crowd to a Titan waiting on the far post where she tapped it in for an easy goal and a 2-1 lead. The unexpected turn of events put Westminster in the unenviable position of needing a goal against a team who had only given up 4 shots in the match so far. Bringing everyone into the attacking end, the Wildcats desperately looked for the equalizer. Katie Haverstick showed no fear as she threw herself into every 50-50. The aggressiveness paid off when she drew a late game foul with less than 2 minutes to play. At 38:12, Christine once again lined herself up for the free kick from 25 yds. She sent a high curling kick at the far post where little Kenzie Pfitzinger stood tall as she tapped it in for a game tying goal that sent the Westminster faithful into a frenzy. As regulation wound down, Coach Smith’s conversational skills led to a yellow card following a spirited debate over a variety of important issues. The half ended with Westminster finding new life and a renewed hope of victory.
The overtime period was all Westminster. Christine, Leah, Kenzie, & Lauren put Trinity’s back against the wall with shots on net. At 4:40, Leah’s sustained pressure on the ball led to a turnover that Leah served towards the net. Lauren Probst, with her back to the goal flicked the ball towards the net with the back of her head. Kenzie, breaking in on the left settled the ball to her feet and let go a hard shot that brought all of the Wildcats onto the field to celebrate a 3-2 victory.
The game winning goal put Westminster back into the state quarterfinal match where they will face off against the Duchesne Pioneers. The game is scheduled for 7pm on Saturday May 24th at Soccer Park in Fenton on field #5. The Lady Wildcats hope the Westminster staff, faculty, and students will start their summer vacations off by supporting the team and attending the match.
Game Stats:
Goals: Ehrmann, Pfitzinger (2) Assists: Ehrmann, Probst Shots: Beck, Ehrmann (3), Pfitzinger (3), Probst Game Winning Goal: Pfitzinger Saves: Calvin (1)
Related: http://prepsports.stltoday.com/ssi/prep/stories200...
Last modified: 08/19/2008 12:20 pm