After nearly being flawless at home and with a five game winning streak under their belts, the women’s soccer team suffered a setback, falling last week to Cal State Bakersfield 3-1.
The Wolverines led the Roadrunners 1-0 in the first half, but Cal State came out strong in the second half with two goals in the first 10 minutes.
“First half we had what we thought would work, and it was working because we had a lot of scoring opportunities. But we didn’t put some away that we should have. In the second half we stuck with our same game plan but we slowed down. That allowed them to catch up. That was one of the biggest things we missed. We slowed things down too much,” said Coach Brent Anderson.
Immediately following the game Coach Anderson told his team, “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. If you have a self pity party, don’t, because we got a lot of work to do.”
The Wolverines, who are returning United Soccer Conference champs, are working to prepare for the tournament that this Saturday in Virginia.
In the first half the Wolverines showed their championship ability, with sophomore Jennifer Lohner who crossed the ball 16 minutes into the game, having it deflected into the goal. In the second half the Roadrunners fought hard to beat the Wolverines to the ball, making it difficult for UVU to create offense.
Two quick goals after halftime put the Wolverines on their heels, down 2-1.
Katey Turner, one of the leading scorers of the team, said, “The first half we connected with our passes. But the second half, every time we tried to play the ball wide we hit blue jerseys. I think our speed of play wasn’t fast enough.” Cal State solidified the win with a corner kick, ending 3-1.
Coach Anderson said, “Soccer is a game of mistakes. How you fix it is what’s important. We made a mistake today. We have to come out and fix it.”
Referring to his team Coach Anderson said, “This team is developing and I don’t think we have seen what this team is capable of yet.”
Turner, who plays with a knee brace, is still not a hundred percent. Coach Anderson said, “Katey is a sophomore and is still young and she is still developing. She is even more effective than last year. I expect to see her to continue to improve. Hopefully with her knee surgery in the off-season she will be able to be more effective next season. She has a torn meniscus and a torn ACL.”
Although they were defeated by Cal State on Thursday, the Wolverines are motivated to win and maintain championship status in the Tournament that begins Saturday.
