Northview Titans Junior Varsity Girls Game Summaries
Northview v Sprayberry - 3-1
March 15th, 2007
The Northview JV girls finally returned home March 15th for a match against the Yellow Jackets of Sprayberry, and came away with a 3-1 victory on a wet night at Titan Stadium. Being the second game of the JV double header, play got underway a little after 7:30, just as a steady rain began to fall. Thankfully, temperatures remained warm and other than a wet ball, weather had little effect on play. (However, the weather did affect the note taking success of your reporter -- so much of the following is from memory.)
The Lady Titans came out fast, and quickly established momentum and dominance against their opponent. In fact, the majority of play in the first 10 minutes took place on the visitors‘ half of the field, often inside the 18. Forwards Hillary Millard, Shelby Apps, and Daria Gound got off multiple shots against the porous Sparyberry defense. However, the Yellow Jacket goalie was up to the challenge, keeping them in the game. Midfielders Kellie Aarons, Kelley Hoehn, Samantha Howard, and Anna Kornmayer all had opportunities as well as they aggressively prowled the center of the field.
Northview finally got on the scoreboard, but in unconventional fashion. Millard beat her defender down the far sideline, and launched a corner kick-like cross from near the flag. The ball sailed right in front of the goal, ricocheted off a Yellow Jacket defender right into the net. Bolstered by the 1-0 score, the Lady Titans continued the pressure on offense. Aarons made a series of nifty moves right up the middle, flicking a pass at the last possible moment to Millard waiting on the right wing. Millard fired a rocket to the goal, but the Sprayberry goalie hung on for the stop. Shortly after, Millard again beat her mark and pounded a tight angle shot, but as always the Jackets’ keeper was there.
Because of the offensive domination, the defenders were able to push forward, and shut down most every attack from Sprayberry well outside of harms way. Caitlin Swindall, Mara Hamilton, Michelle DiPietro, Kylie Janusek and Jessica Cerverizzo were all instrumental in keeping Sprayberry off the board. This ensured that keeper Hannah Riddle had little action in the half.
Late in the first period, after yet another shot from Northview, it looked as if we were going to get a break. The Sprayberry keeper, who had been playing lights out up to that point, was a little too casual coming out to retrieve the slow roller. A heads up Carly Martini saw the opportunity and streaked towards the ball and got there first. In the tangle, however, the shot was fired wide of the goal. Martini was soon redeemed for her hustle. With just 2:00 showing on the clock, Northview fired a corner kick that bounded loose in front of the goal. Martini quickly reached it and put the ball away for the 2-0 lead.
Again, the second half started out with a bang. In the first 15 seconds, Millard and Gound had a nice give and go sequence that resulted in a long shot from Gound that just missed the mark, bouncing off the near post. Surprisingly, Sprayberry came out from the break and played very inspired soccer, perhaps grateful to only be down by two. After another breakaway, Millard again sent a nice cross to the middle to where Shelby Apps waited, but the Yellow Jacket keeper was there for the save. Then with 27:00 remaining, Gound broke free on the left side and threaded a perfect shot to the near post that the goalie could not reach, and the score was now 3-0.
Sprayberry, however, did not roll over and actually began to assert their size. And the physical play suited them as they were drawing more fouls and receiving free kicks. Samantha Howard particularly battled hard, and more than held her own against her bigger mark. Time and again she was able to send passes forward, only to be leveled after releasing the ball.
With 15:00 remaining and the score still 3-0, Sprayberry sent a long, slow roller to the goal. Hannah Riddle routinely called off the defense. But before she could punt it away, the referee whistled play and signaled a foul against Northview about 30 yards from the goal. The Yellow Jackets sent the free kick high over the Northview wall and over the hands of the leaping Riddle – and into the back of the net for the score. It was a perfect shot, after a mysterious call – but never the less the score now stood at 3-1.
Thankfully, that is how it ended as Sprayberry was unable to solve the tight Titan defense. With the win, the Lady Titans record stands at a respectable 4-1-2. Next up for Northview is a home date against the Roswell Hornets on Monday, March 19.
