Wildcats Shut Out Timberwolves in Girls Soccer

On the strength of four second-half goals, the girls’ soccer team shut out Living Word Lutheran 5-0 in a Midwest Classic Conference North game Monday at USM.

The Wildcat defense was strong throughout. Backed by senior sweeper Ellie Wigdale, defenders senior Emily Hendrickson and sophomore Catherine Jacobus, with the help of mid-fielders, seniors Margot Peterson and Sally James and freshmen Kate Nosbusch and Merrill Read, prevented the Timberwolves from mounting any serious attack against USM’s junior goalkeeper Caity Prewitt.  Prewitt made only two saves in each half as her teammates quickly moved the ball away from danger and up field toward the Living Word Lutheran goal.

The USM forwards took their time getting shots on Living Word Lutheran’s senior goalie Taylor Luce.  Priscilla Wick, an assistant coach for USM said, “We seemed to be playing cat and mouse out there.”

The first half was nearly half over before USM scored its first goal. The Wildcats were moving the ball from player to player, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually sophomore forward Amber Baker passed it back to Read, who subsequently sent a pass from just outside the Timberwolves’ penalty area to senior forward Jenna Seter.  Seter turned, stepped into the area, and blasted the ball past Luce at 19:07.

USM did not score again in the first half.  At halftime, the Wildcats’ head coach Patrick Flanagan urged them to “put the ball in the mixer” in front of the Timberwolves’ goal so they could pressure their opponents' defense and goalkeeper. 

In the second half, the Wildcats made good on their coach’s encouragement.  Off a corner kick into the goalie box by senior Erika Hurth, Baker got the ball and fired a hard shot.  Luce went low to stop it.  The ball rebounded off her hands back to Baker, who gunned her second shot into the net at 47:56.

It was Baker’s birthday, and she gave her teammates another chance to celebrate at 68:49.  She headed a corner kick from Emily Hendrickson over Luce’s head to make the score 3-0.

USM added two more in the final two minutes of the game.  At 78:35 Hurth sent the ball toward the net.  Senior Libby Aik raced in and touched it past Luce on the near post.

USM scored once more at 79:09 when Seter fired in a shot off a pass from freshman Grace Florsheim.

In the game USM outshot Living Word Lutheran 24 to four.  Luce made 16 saves while Prewitt stopped four.

Living Word Lutheran is now 6-7 and 3-5 in the conference.  USM’s record is 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference.  To keep fit for the upcoming state tournament playoffs, the Wildcats prepared themselves a tough non-conference schedule in the days ahead. Wednesday, they travel to Kenosha to play Kenosha Christian Life at 4:30 p.m. Thursday they go to Grafton to play Grafton High School at 7 p.m.