SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Wando over West Ashley in Pk's ...again

First, I must say the West Ashley parents were very well behaved.

It was another even game between 2 of the better teams in the state. First half may have belonged slightly to Wando. Second half advantage belonged to West Ashley after moving Danielle Jordan up front from the back line. Wando's young defense bent but did not break. In overtime , Wando had a few more chances but did not convert. West Ashley missed a gift when Wando was called for an accidental handball in the box in 1st overtime but Jordan missed the PK.
In PK's neither team was overly successful in converting (Was it just 2-2 after 5?), but Emily Fortner made the 6th and West Ashley's was blocked.

Wando's seniors are maturing and doing a good job of bringing the young ones along. Becky Doles did a great job at center mid. Also Morgan Wright in goal played very well with 3 legitimate stops in the PK's.

Good to see you out S1. Can they beat JI?

S! --

Thank you for the kind words about the WA parents. I did my best to soil our spotless reputation but obviously failed on this occasion. I will try again.

It was an interesting game played very differently in each of the two halves by teams which have, over the years, played a number of hard fought games to OT and PKs. West Ashley, like most protagonists from great classic litterature, is a team of both strengths and flaws, and as such gives its coach a varied palette from which to paint. Coach McNeely chose the defensive 2-5-3 line-up with Danielle Jordan in back and Purvis, Bolt, Lee (among others) in mid for the 40 minutes with a resultant 0 - 0 score at the half and the expected bulk of offensive play in their half of the field. The second half was played with freshman Purvis as stopper, Jordan and Brothers up top and Bolt in center mid and produced a number of scoring opportunities for the Lady Wildcats and several hard drives at the WA goal by Wando. I thought the pk with about two minutes left in the game was the result of a Wando foul in the box rather than a handball in the box, but will defer to my Wando friend here, S!, who was seated 20 yards further away from the play itself but has had Lasik surgery performed east of the Cooper while I wear bifocals. Clearly it was a missed opportunity for WA. WA maintained a slight advantage throughout the second half while playing its "offensive" lineup, and as a WA parent, the second half was a lot more fun to watch. WA's passing was not at its best while Wando missed a bit in speed and a good striker. Again, Wando prevailed in pks, though this time it went to the 6th shooter. Morgan, the Wando keeper, played a great game as did Brothers from WA.

JI, at this point in time, is in the driver's seat in terms of controling its Region 7 status, having beaten Wando resoundingly in the first match and driven WA to pks. If they play to their potential they can win the region outright and force their rivals to go on the road and face each other again before before an eventual Region 7 showdown in playoffs. Then, for the last team standing in the lower state, on to certain death against Fort Mill...

lpaf

I would also bow to the James Island Trojans as favorite to win Region 7 and the State.
It is a shame Julie Bolt is having to play in the center midfield this year. It appears it is harder for her to get in the offensive flow of the game than when she played up front.

S! --

I think the WA coaching staff is still exploring how best to use the talent they have, especially when facing high quality opponents. There's no question but that Bolt brings more flash and firepower to the game when up top, but last year's Wando game showed that without another impact player to work off of she was less than fully effective in the forward position. From center mid she is able to help control the flow of the ball offensively, make runs at the goal and look for an unexpected transition opportunity as well as contribute to the defense more. The addition of Purvis in the back (as well as the return of Lee) does allow WA to bring Jordan up top, as we saw in last night's game in the second half. Bolt, Brother, and Jordan all up top intermittantly would be the combination to score the most goals and might be an occasional option, though significantly weakening the defense. Coach McNeely has lots of choices here and some will work better against certain teams than against others. For the time being, every game is training for playoffs. WA, I'm sure, is hoping to get one more game this season against the Lady Warriors -- we'll see what happens.

lpaf

I wish I didn't live 3 hours away. I'd love to sit, equal distance, between both of you guys and enjoy these matches!

Congrats on a hard fought one....hate to see PK's.

PS - by the way, not that I would ever tell the FM coaching staff (simply for my own future reference).....which side did Jordan shoot to?

;>)

Hurst,
This is tame compared to a couple of years ago.
Just a couple of old guys who enjoy the local rivalry. At first, I thought the S! instead of S1
was accidental keystroke error but the repetition is starting to make me a little suspicious.

Swimming - the perfect exercise.