Northview Titans Junior Varsity Girls Game Summaries

Northview v South Forsyth - 1-1
March 13th

The undefeated and un-scored upon JV Lady Titans (3-0) played host to South Forsyth (1-2-1) on March 13th, and battled the War Eagles to a 1-1 draw. Weather forecasts leading into the match called for severe thunderstorms that seemed certain to affect, if not disrupt, play -- but clear skies, unusually warm temperatures and a full moon made for ideal soccer conditions.

The home team girls, however, came out a little flat at the start of the contest, perhaps due in part to the lingering effects of the recent three day weekend. The overall speedy play of the South Forsyth girls (most notably their forwards and sweeper) was something the Lady Titans had yet to encounter, and they struggled to adapt to the quicker, more aggressive pace. Goalie Olivia Alonso stayed busy as the War Eagles were able to take seemingly more shots on goal in the first half than Northview had given up in the previous three games combined. Luckily South Forsyth came up empty as errant shots and good plays (notably from midfielder Tara Holland and sweeper Kate Dixon) denied the visitors a goal. Alonso herself thwarted a one on one opportunity on a great stop at the 7:20 mark.

The Lady Titans as well squandered opportunities to get on the scoreboard. Their best chance in the first half may have come at the 3:30 mark when midfielder Anna Kornmayer was fouled inside the box. Unfortunately the South Forsyth keeper guessed right and smothered Rae Mueller’s penalty shot. Rather than be discouraged, the Northview girls seemed to gain inspiration from this and played out the rest of the half with much more desire and purpose than they had shown up to that point. Solid midfield play and crisper passing led to more opportunities, and the half came to a close after one last courageous stop by the War Eagle goalie on a hard charging Stephanie Andino. The score remained 0-0 going into the break.

The second half got under way with the feeling that one of the teams would eventually break and allow a score. Three and a half minutes in, a South Forsyth forward broke free down  the right side line and lifted a shot (or cross) high into the air from well out side the 18. The Northview players could do nothing but watch as the ball sailed over the outstretched hands of keeper Olivia Alonso and settled into the back of the net for the first score of the game – and the first goal given up this season by the Lady Titans.

Obviously trailing for the first time this season as well, the girls seemed unfazed by the bad turn of events and picked up their play right where they left off at the end of the half – with aggressive offense, stout defense and a quicker and more reactive midfield. At the 28:15 mark, Stephanie Andino crossed the ball from the right sideline to fellow forward Hillary Millard, whose shot careened off the crossbar only to settle right back at her feet. Millard made good on the rebound opportunity, converting the loose ball for the score and tying the game at 1-1.

The remainder of play saw continued defensive action for both teams, with neither squad able to get the go ahead goal. Sweeper Kate Dixon, Haley Nelson, Mara Hamilton, Caitlin Swindall, and Rachel Wilson owned the defensive side of the field, while Kellie Aarons, Anna Kornmayer, Sarah Gibson, and Lisa Johnson steadied the middle.   The Lady Titans best chances came at the following times:

19:00 – Andino forces a corner kick, and Mueller (playing center mid) sends the pass over but the subsequent shot from Millard goes over the top of the goal
13:30 -- Millard and Holland play give and go, but Holland’s shot is handled by the South Forsyth goalie
9:30 – Andino gets free on the right side with a good look at the goal but the shot goes wide left

In the last minute of the contest, the Lady Titans launched a ferocious attack but were kept at bay. With just seconds remaining the ball was sent from the far corner, landing in front of the War Eagles goal. But time expired before Northview could capitalize, with the final score standing at 1-1. While not their best match to date, the Lady Titans faced adversity for the first time this season and rose to the challenge against a very good South Forsyth team.