Published: May 8, 2015
Chargers start tough stretch with ‘W’
String of games likely determines conference
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
TOWN OF JACKSON — Kettle Moraine Lutheran didn’t want
another team to determine if it was going to win the Wisconsin Flyway
Conference championship this season.
“We probably need to win out to win the conference,” KML
coach Brian Hoerchner said.
The Chargers started a key three-game stretch with an
important 2-0 victory over St. Mary’s Springs on Thursday.
“It was a tough battle,” Hoerchner said. “That’s a good
team; one of the top teams in the conference.”
This stretch will likely determine if KML (7-1-2, 4-0-2)
wins the conference championship.
On Monday, the Chargers are at Oshkosh Lourdes. Then, on May
15, KML hosts Winnebago Lutheran Academy.
Going into the day, KML, Springs, Winnebago Lutheran and
Lomira were unbeaten in conference play.
KML tied Lomira, 2-2, on April 14 in the first conference
game of the season.
With the loss, Springs dropped to 5-3-2 overall, 3-1-2 in
the Flyway. The Ledgers are the defending conference champion. “It was huge,”
Hoerchner said of beating Springs. “But we’ve got a couple just as big to
follow.”
KML hasn’t won the conference title since 2010. Winnebago
Lutheran won it three years in a row (2011-13).
“These are all huge games,” Hoerchner said.
“It’s good to get the ball rolling,” KML’s Abi Aswege said.
Aswege did her part, scoring both goals in the game for the
Chargers.
The first came on a set play just outside the 18-yard box.
Springs was whistled for a handball. If it’d been another
couple of inches up the field, it would’ve been a penalty kick for the
Chargers.
Instead, Taylor Brazell touched a pass to Aswege, who snuck
behind the Ledgers’ wall and easily scored to give the team a 1-0 lead in the
9th minute.
“We try in the first 10 minutes to connect with something,”
Hoerchner said.
That score held up until halftime.
“Taylor Brazell is such a key player on our team,” Aswege
said. 'She sets us up so well. She has such a strong leg.'
In the 50th minute, Aswege had an empty net to shoot at as
Ledgers goalkeeper Maggie Kelly misplayed the bouncing ball and it bounced over
her right to Aswege’s foot.
But Aswege couldn’t connect for the goal, sending the shot
wide right of the target.
She never worried if that missed opportunity would haunt the
team.
“I’m very confident in my teammates,” Aswege said. “I knew
that one missed shot wouldn’t have changed the game.”
From there, Springs had new life as it turned up the
pressure on the KML defense. The Ledgers also had the help of the brisk wind,
which allowed them to play longer passes through the air.
“It was definitely a concern,” Hoerchner said.
Springs managed only one shot in the first half. In the
second half, it had 11 shots.
“I think we were getting a little nervous,” Aswege said.
“But our defense did a great job.”
The Ledgers had a chance to tie the game in the 85th minute,
but a diving save by Kelsey Knuth preserved the clean sheet. KML quickly
countered and got the ball up the field to Aswege, who got behind Springs’
defense and was off on a breakaway.
One-on-one with the goalkeeper, this time she didn’t miss,
scoring the goal to give KML the two-goal cushion.
“Pretty tough,” Aswege said when asked about how tough the
conference is going to be to win this year. “We still have some good
competition coming up.”
No comments:
Post a Comment