Wildcats Win Two in Tournament

Sometimes teams need a wake-up call.  The University School girls’ soccer team needed one early Saturday morning in the first game of the Badger Tournament at Lake Geneva Badger High School.

After the Wildcats fell behind 4-0 in the first half of their game against Waukesha South, their head coach Jason Rienzi abruptly woke his slumbering players with his halftime talk.  “I didn’t want to be negative, but I had to tell them I thought they were playing like garbage,” he said, “I had to wake ‘em up.” 

The USM players responded to their coach's message. Their soccer skills improved, they came together as a team, and they gave up only two more goals in the remainder of the tournament while scoring seven themselves. The Wildcats surrendered a goal in the second half of the Waukesha South game and lost 5-0.  USM then beat Oak Creek 4-1 and Greenfield 3-0 for a 2-1 record in the tournament. 

Waukesha South scored four goals in the 25-minute half. Junior Holly Lesperance scored the first on a pass from junior Caitlin Liddiard at 6:53.  Emily Ciesieiczyk scored the second at 14:54.  Waukesha South then scored two more goals in the last three minutes of the half.  Sophomore Emily Kratz took a pass from Ciesieiczyk and put the Blackshirts up 3-0 at 22:22, and junior Kate Haliburton scored at 23:56 on an assist by senior Ginger Paulson. 

After Rienzi sounded the alarm, USM gave up just one more goal, a point blank blast by Haliburton at 36:04 that USM’s sophomore goalkeeper Emily Wigdale nearly stopped. But the Wildcats were a different team during the final half.  The defense tightened and toughened.  The passing and position play improved, and USM looked like a competitive soccer team against their Division I foe.

“That was much better, much better,” Rienzi and his assistant coach Patrick Flanagan told the team after the game.  “You’re playing the way we know you can.”  The Wildcats’ spirits rose.  They had renewed confidence, and they demonstrated it in their remaining two games.

USM then faced another Division I team, Oak Creek.  From the opening whistle, the Wildcats controlled the game.  The USM defenders, juniors Margot Peterson, Emily Hendrickson, Ellie Wigdale, and sophomores Maddie Lucey, Michelle Bal and Teddy Hermberg marked tightly and made it rough for the Oak Creek forwards anywhere in the USM end.  Oak Creek scored its only goal on a penalty kick at 15:52 by junior Morgan Kokta after Peterson made sure Kokta understood that Oak Creek was not invited inside the 18-yard line for tea.

The USM midfielders, juniors Sally James, Georgia Hoagland, Jenna Seter, and Erika Hurth, and freshman Caity Prewitt came back to support the defense and moved the ball up the field effectively.  Their determination led to USM’s four goals. 

The Wildcats scored their first goal of the tournament at 9:20.  Senior forward Elena Noyes threw the ball into Seter on the left side.  Seter moved into Oak Creek’s penalty area and passed the ball to the right to senior forward Paige Costakos who was moving toward the goal like an express.  Costakos drilled a shot past Oak Creek’s freshman goalie Alicia Haase.

USM scored its second goal just two minutes later.  Seter got the ball near midfield and centered a short lead pass to James.  James took off with the ball, and, like a gazelle, she sped past the Oak Creek defenders.  As she moved in, James shifted to her right and fired a bullet into the net at 11:20.

USM scored two more goals in the second half.  At 9:40 Noyes got a loose ball, raced down the side and fired a shot past Haase to make it 3-1 USM.

The Wildcats scored their final goal of the game with 1:40 left.  Seter intercepted an Oak Creek clear and passed the ball into the Knights’ penalty area to Costakos.  Costakos moved it across to freshman Amber Baker. Baker booted the ball in to seal the victory.

Wigdale made four saves while Haase made eight by the end of the game.

As the sun came out and brightened the day, the Wildcats sparkled against their next opponent, Greenfield.  The Wildcats played with heat and passion and dominated the game.

Once again the USM defense shined, and Wigdale did not have to make a save.  Prewitt replaced Wigdale in goal in the final minutes and made 1 save.  Their counterpart, Greenfield junior Ayesha Ahmed, made eight saves during the lopsided game.

The field seemed to be pitched toward the Hawks’ end because the Wildcats kept the ball there most of the game. USM had many scoring opportunities but shots that were off their mark or that Greenfield defenders blocked kept the score down.

The Wildcats scored one goal in the first half.  Noyes made a run down the left side and sent a pass into Costakos.  She blazed a shot off the hands of Ahmed.  The rebound came out to Hurth who chipped it high into the net at 12:30. 

USM finally notched its second goal at 26:05.  Taking a corner kick, Seter bent the ball in to Costakos on the far side.  Costakos fired it but a defender dove and blocked it. The rebound came to Costakos.  Like a hired gun, Costakos made sure her next shot was in as she kicked the ball high into the net.

The Wildcats scored once more at 30:45.  After a corner kick, there was a scramble for the ball.  It went to Costakos on the right side.  She passed it to James who was moving towards the goal like metal to a magnet.  James’ touched the ball expertly and tipped it into the far side of the net.

USM is now 7-5 and 3-1 in the Midwest Classic Conference.  The Wildcats play a nearby conference foe on Monday when they face Dominican at the Uihlein Soccer Complex at 4:30 p.m.