Memorial Takes down Kimberly In Efficient Manner
After Fridays physical and drama filled game with DC Everest, the follow up on Saturday just felt a bit different. It was two really good teams with talent all over the field, but things just seemed a bit calmer in under control for the Abes on Saturday. Maybe it was the second game with players getting comfortable in their new roles. Maybe things just fell their way a bit, regardless, it was a really nice win against a quality opponent ranked in the Top 10 in the recent poll.
After Friday’s late game drama, Saturday started out about as good as you could hope for if you are a Memorial fan. Two goals in the first 15 minutes. I mentioned in the last post, it would be great for Memorial to get a few good breaks after a tough week of news. It came on Saturday. Shots were finding the net, balls were bouncing their direction, deflections ended up at their feet….things just seemed to fall right. Now , that’s not to say the goals weren’t well earned…it’s just that on another night, it might have been much closer. In previous games, these shots were just high or a bit wide. On this day, they found the net! Sorenson with a nice volley goal (video below) and Beaudrie with a long distance strike after a deflection or rebound found her feet. 2-0 after 13 minutes. Nice!
After getting up quickly, the game settled down a bit and became very competitive. With Kimberly’s high-ranking, you figured things would tighten up a bit. Kimberly had a very dangerous forward who made life difficult for Memorial. Long, fast and skilled…she struck twice to make things interesting in the first half. A nice string of possession near then Abes 18 with a good lay off allowed a perfect strike to cut the lead to 2-1 at the 38th minute. The Abes countered quickly on a second goal by Beaudrie, a quick strike in the box that made its way thru a defender and an oncoming GK. A very quick video below, sorry Jacque, I will get a better shot next time! 3-1 and back in control in the 39th minute. Kimberly pressed again and a nice long run down the side from their striker, who turned the corner and was able to play a dangerous ball across the box lead to a 2nd Kimberly goal. Game on…3-2 at the half. Memorial really controlled things in the second half, had solid possession and kept pressing for a 4th goal. They limited Kimberly’s chances and finally found their 4th goal in the 73rd minute on a nice hustle goal by Lauren Carmody. A hard shot by Stow could not be secured by the GK and Carmody was in the right spot at the right time to clean up and drive it into the back of the net. 4-2. Game over!
Here are a few quick highlights.
What I love is the ball touches 4 players and even after a deflection, Sorenson stays alert and executes a really nice volley that finds the back of the net. This was the first sign it was going to be a good day!
Beaudrie’s first goal was a smasher! Here, she finds a ball in the corner of the box and another hustle goal. Just beats the defender and GK to the ball. Don’t blink, a quick video.
I dropped this in to just provide a great example of the midfield play. A searching ball to Stow is blocked, but the midfield stays engaged, finds some possession, works a nice 1-2 and gets a respectable shot near the 18. Well played. Good Soccer.
Some Notes:
River Falls had a nice 2-2 game against GB Preble and a 4-0 win over Fond du Lac. Rice Lake seems like they are the real deal.
Balanced Attack from Abes. If I had told you Stow would not score and the final was 4-2….maybe you think Kimberly wins. Not today. Memorial is getting goals from many spots; including wing play and midfield play.
A Good Week End for Memorial. They needed to be tested. Two games against high quality opponents. One fast and physical, one skilled and balanced. A hard fought tie and a win. The team is growing. Well done Abes!