BV girls soccer comes from behind to nab 4th win of season
By:
Jill Meier, Journal editor
The Lady Lynx soccer team did themselves proud once again.
On Sept. 1 at Crane-Youngworth Field in Yankton, Brandon Valley handed the defending state champ Gazelles their fifth loss of the season behind a comeback 3-2 ESD Conference victory.
The Lynx – strong on offense and defense both – forced the Gazelles to play defense for a large share of the 80-minute match. After giving up an early goal, BV battled back and head coach Jacob Shoup said his team “continued to play our game and kept attacking Yankton until we finally broke through.”
With 14 minutes left to go in the first half, the Lynx got the ball to Gemma Symington on the left wing. The junior forward was able to turn and attack the Yankton defense and play a fantastic ball to the opposite side of the field, where
Kennedy Nuebel was stationed. Neubel, a senior, mastered the ball past the Yankton keeper to make it a 1-1 game.
With limited time to play in the first, BV registered their second goal when Emma Kirlin scored off of an assist from defender Mya Chan to send the Lynx into the half with the 2-1 advantage.
Shoup said his team didn’t play as well in the second half, but were able to keep the pressure on the Gazelles.
“We were able to attack in front of us and limit their chances,” he said. “We felt like we controlled possession in the midfield and were able to create a lot of chances for us.”
BV’s 29 shots to Yankton’s seven were visible proof of the pressure.
“That has been a theme for us as a team,” the coach said.
Kirlin netted her second goal in the ESD win with 4:35 to go in the game on an assist from Nuebel. Up 3-1, Shoup said Yankton put the Lynx on their heels when they planted a goal in the BV net with two minutes to play.
And that made the final two innings “interesting,” the coach said.
“Our girls lost our composure a little bit, but we were able to finish them off,” he said. “The biggest thing for us is that we are out-shooting opponents almost 3 to 1 and minimizing shot opportunities for the other team. But when you only allow seven shots, you shouldn’t give up two goals.”
The Lynx coach said the girls need to do a better job of communicating in the back and keeping their opponents out of the net when they have minimal chances. “We are hoping to see an improvement in our communication and ability to finish games with confidence,” he said.
The Lady Lynx JV brought home a 3-0 victory.
BV (4-1-1) hosts undefeated Aberdeen Central at 5 p.m. Friday and Harrisburg on Sept. 15.
