On Wednesday, Manual’s girls’ varsity soccer team defeated Male in their rivalry game with a final score of 7-2. The game was designated a beach theme by the Crimson Crazies.
First Half:
The game began with Manual gaining possession and taking the ball to Male’s goal. Male soon took possession but while defending Manual’s goal, Lola Thompson (7, 12) suffered an injury that took her out of the game completely. Soon after, Male scored the first goal of the game. Following that, Chloe Groemling (#5, 12) scored Manual’s first goal, tying the score 1-1.
After keeping possession of the ball, the Lady Crimsons were able to set up Sophie Barber (#9, 10) to score with a header. With various defensive moves, Manual kept control of the ball and Groemling was able to score once more.
After Manual made multiple attempts at scoring, Male was finally able to gain possession of the ball. However, their lone attempt to score was caught by Manual’s goalie Hayden Moore (#99, 11). Manual was able to get the ball back and Jasmine Smith (#22, 12) and Isabelle Hooper (#28, 12) were able to attempt more shots on the goal.
After continuous domination of the ball, Groemling scored once more with an assist from Isabella Acosta (#23, 10) the score then being 4-1. Hooper had more chances to score but was ultimately unsuccessful.
The next goal was nearly stopped by the Bulldog’s goalie, but Emme Pippen (#33, 11) swooped in to kick the ball before she could grab it. The first half ended shortly after a handball was called on Manual. The halftime score was 5-1 for Manual.
“It’s a rivalry game you know, Male came out hard and they obviously scored in the first half, but we responded to that like we normally do,” Head Coach John Kassebaum said.
Second Half:
The second half began in favor of Male with them getting a goal almost immediately. However, the Lady Crimsons were quick to get back into the rhythm and Acosta scored very soon after, further increasing the score gap. Another header, this time by Allyson Alexander (#10, 9), allowed Manual to get the final point of the game, making the score 7-2.
The second half was filled with various attempts to score by the Lady Crimsons as well as many injuries for the Bulldogs. Within the span of a couple minutes, three Male players were lying on the ground due to injuries, causing multiple breaks in the game.
Manual continued to try and score, making various attempts but ultimately not succeeding. The Bulldogs also tried to play offensively, but Kaleigh Anderson (#19, 11) remained firm in defending.
A free kick was given to Male after Anderson pushed a Male player who was tugging on her shirt. Despite this setback, the Lady Crimsons quickly took hold of the ball but were unsuccessful in scoring again. The final score was 7-2 for the Lady Crimsons.
“I’m proud of my team for getting the win and beating Male,” Groemling said.
The Lady Crimsons’ next game is against Bethlehem High School at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23.
