In a game played Saturday afternoon at Spartan stadium, East’s Maggie Bartenslager gets a toe on a shot by Hurricane’s Isabella Ruggier to deflect it left of the net.
In a doubleheader played Saturday afternoon at Spartan Field, the boys soccer team played Pikeview, rolling to a 11-0 rout.
The girls soccer team played Hurricane, which scored just a couple of minutes into the game with a corner kick, then held on for the duration of the game for a 1-0 victory.
The boys dominated the field, and their passing was exceptional, with head coach Lucas Lemine commenting that they completed more than 300 passes in the second half. Most of those scores came from close in, as they worked the ball through the defensive formations. The Spartan goalie didn’t see much action, as his teammates kept the ball at the other end of the field for much of the game. Brandon Barnes scored three goals, one a beautiful boot that left his foot just as the goalie was closing from in front of him, and a defensive player closed from behind. Scott Soucier had a breakaway goal when he got behind the defense and bested the goalie before he could get out to try to block the shot.
The Pikeview coach commented after the game on the Spartans’ balance, as they use a number of offensive tools to win the game. Unable to focus on one standout player, it keeps the defense honest, needing to watch a number of skilled players. The Spartans play unselfishly, giving up the ball when a teammate has a better shot.
Greenbrier East’s Brandon Barnes (in white) and Pikeview’s Bill Farmer turn toward the ball in the first half of a game played at Spartan stadium Saturday afternoon.
In the girls game, the Redskins and the Spartans appeared to be evenly matched, both teams showing good footwork and ball skills, and both defenses repeatedly rising to the occasion to deny goals. Both goalies saw action, as there were a number of shots on goal; they just weren’t connecting. As the second half progressed, Hurricane emphasized their defense, falling back in tight formations to make it more difficult for East to find that one opening to tie the game.
Freshman Emma Dotson was a key player in the middle, with good dribbling skills and accurate passes forward. Carley Midkiff is always active, covering the field well, and was usually in the vicinity of the ball. It was a game that easily could have gone a different direction, as East has more than enough skill and hustle to win this one. But in soccer, perhaps more than any other sport, a few inches here, a second or two there, and the point isn’t scored and the game is gone.
The girls’ next game is against Nicholas County on Aug. 31, in Summersville.