Northview Titans Junior Varsity Girls Game Summaries
Northview v Alpharetta - 0-0
March 21st, 2007
The JV girls traveled just up the road to take on the Alpharetta Raiders on Wednesday, March 21. After struggling offensively in their last match against Roswell (a 0-0 draw), the Titans were looking to break out from their offensive struggles in a big way. However, it did not play out that way as they game ended in yet another scoreless tie.
From the outset, it was obvious that Northview would be able to push the ball deep into Raider territory often. Forwards, Daria Gound, Shelby Apps and Carly Martini fired off shot after shot, only to see the ball sail wide, high, or right into the hands of the keeper. On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans continued to shut down their opponent. Lead by goalie Hannah Riddle, the rest of the defensive crew -- Lisa Johns, Mara Hamilton, Caitlin Swindall, Michelle DiPietro, Kylie Janusek and Jessica Cerverizzo – denied the speedy Alpharetta forwards time after time.
In the first half, the Lady Titans had at least 10 shots on goal. Midfielders Kellie Aarons, Kelley Hoehn, Samantha Edwards and Anna Kornmayer continued to work the middle of the field, shutting down any offensive threat before it could develop, while sending the ball forward. But the girls went to the sidelines at the break with nothing to show on the scoreboard for their effort.
The second half saw the Raiders up the intensity of their game, obviously grateful to still be in the contest. The ball was on our defensive side much more than in the first half, and one couldn’t help but think that a rare Alpharetta shot might end up in the back of the net. With 30:00 showing on the clock, a Raider forward broke free coming right up the gut for a one on one opportunity against Riddle. But Caitlin Swindall turned on the jets, running her opponent down from behind and clearing the ball to the side.
With about 20:00 to go, Northview had a nice sequence when forward Hillary Millard sent a nice cross to fellow forward Apps, who headed it forward to Gound coming up the middle. The resulting shot was smothered by the Alpharetta keeper.
The clock was beginning to be a factor, and the frustration level seemed to be mounting for the Titans. With 11:00 to go, Kornmayer sent a long pass forward to a wide open Apps, but she and the goalie arrived at the ball simultaneously – with the keeper coming up with the ball. At the 5:00 mark, Swindall looked to have a scoring opportunity, albeit from a fair distance, but her shot sailed just a little wide. One last opportunity at 1:00 was again snuffed out by the stingy Raider defense.
The game ended with the score all knotted at 0-0. The Titans record stands at 4-1-4, with an impressive seven defensive shutouts. Next up for Northview is a rare Saturday match on March 24 against the tough Pope Greyhounds, whose record at press time was 3-0-2.
