The girls’ varsity soccer team was awarded a strong win against the South Oldham Dragons with a final score of 7-0 on the Crimsons’ senior night.
First Half
The game started slowly as both teams felt each other out, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Manual started to bring on the offensive pressure, taking shot after shot. Savina Zamborini (#39, 10) pushed through hard plays and assisted the first goal scored by Jolene Ballard (#2, 11).
“We came out with a lot of heart. Our teamwork showed through this game because a lot of people adjusted well. We are really supportive of each other on and off the field especially when goals are scored,” Ballard said.
Manual nearly gave up the first half lead when South Oldham’s Erika Houchens (#25) got a half-field one-on-one breakaway. Her shot bounced off the goal post, keeping the score at 1-0.
Manual continued to dominate with their offensive unit the majority of the first half bringing in three more goals by Isabella Zamborini (#7 12), Catherine Allgeier (#4, 11) and Savina Zamborini.
The score at half time was 4-0, South Oldham trailing behind.
Halftime, Senior Night Ceremony
The halftime senior ceremony began with all of the seniors individually walking with their family to the middle of the field.
The seniors recognized during halftime were:
Camille Chandler (#6, 12), Rachel Francis (#48, 12), Cassie Froedge (#29, 12), Caitlin Meurer (#24, 12), Hallie Rodman (#5, 12), Savanna Vest (#52, 12), Autumn Wilding (#55, 12) and Isabella Zamborini (#7 12).
“Every player was involved from freshman all the way up to seniors and they were all very supportive and cheered for one another like a family. I would absolutely consider it (senior night) to be successful,” Manual Head Coach Sheri Kiser said.
Last year, the girls’ soccer team also beat South Oldham on their field during the dragons’ senior night.
“Everyone comes out on senior night and they want to play whether or not they are a senior so we always pull out our best game. Because of last year’s game, it was important for us to win tonight to prove who is the better team,” Chloe Hord (#42, 10) said.
Second Half
Manual picked up right where it left off as Isabella Zamborini scored a goal within the first five minutes of the second half.
South Oldham came close to scoring a few times in the second half, but strong defense from the Crimsons kept the ball out of the goal. South Oldham’s Maia Sapp (#47) kept pressure on the Crimson defense for the entire game.
“I think we can use this game as motivation so that later on we will be in higher spirits and learn from our mistakes,” Sapp said.
Sofia Mitchell (#51, 9) added the final goal for Manual with two minutes left in the game making the final score 7-0.
The Lady Crimsons will play next weekend in the district tournament. Game time are not set yet.
An interview with South Oldham’s Head Coach Ken Burke can be heard here:
