By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Two girls soccer teams with high expectations for the season battled each other, and the elements, to a 0-0 double-overtime tie in their opening games Friday at the Sunflower Soccer Complex.
Hayden sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Borjon kept Cair Paravel soccer off the scoreboard as the Wildcats and Lions battled to an 0-0 double-overtime tie Friday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Cair Paravel senior Katherine Keys (1) advances the ball as Hayden senior Mary Burenheide gives chase in Friday's 0-0 double-overtime tie between the Lions and Wildcats. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Hayden and Cair Paravel were both hampered by a 20-30 mile per hour wind from the north that didn’t provide any decisive impact on the game other than to produce a lot of goose bumps and cramps. In the end, both coaches found enough positives to be happy with the result.
“The conditions were kind of tough on offense,” said Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer. “The wind makes it more difficult, but we did some things to make it difficult for ourselves. I thought we looked good defensively. We just didn’t take enough shots on goal. We looked for layups instead of taking a jump shot.”
Cair Paravel started the game with the wind at its back but produced just one shot on goal in the first half. The Lions nearly knocked home a couple of shots in in the second overtime, but Hayden held on to preserve the tie.
Cair Paravel junior Zahra Friess controls the ball in Friday's 0-0 soccer tie with Hayden. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Ella Foster (1) advances the ball against Cair Paravel in Friday's 0-0 double-overtime tie. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
“It seemed like we played better against the wind than we did with it for whatever reason. We took a couple of good shots at the end of the game and were like, ‘Where were those in the first half,’ ” said Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery. “But I feel like we got lucky, too, because they had some missed opportunities.
“For our first game, I was very pleased with our play. It’s hard to play in the wind. I felt like Klaus did a good job of preparing his team to defend against us.”
Several Hayden players were part of the girls basketball team that placed third in the Class 3A state tournament two weeks ago. A side effect of that success in basketball was precious little time on the soccer field.
“We’ve had one full week of practice because the girls went to state basketball and then we had spring break. So, they just haven’t played much,” Kreutzer said. “We’ve only had about four days of practice, so I’m pleased with our effort. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had. But the effort was good, so I’m pleased with that.”
The Lions used a backup goalkeeper in the opener, which removed a key player from the midfield.
“Veronica (Ignoto) is usually our middle defender,” Woolery said. “She had to fill in today and she did an amazing job. She was super excited to play goal today and I was really happy with how she stepped up.”
Hayden reached the state championship phase last season, a year after Cair Paravel made its first trip to the championships. Both have hopes to get back to the Final Four this year.
“It’s always good to get a tough game under your belt,” Woolery said. “We usually start off with a couple of tough ones at the beginning of the year, and to come away without a loss is always a positive. It allows us to see what we need to work on. We’re just getting our sea legs under us. We’ll continue to build as the season goes.”
HAYDEN 0, CAIR PARAVEL LATIN 0 (2 OT)
Hayden (0-0-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Cair Paravel (0-0-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Hayden — Goals: none. Assists: none. Shutout: Borjon
Cair Paravel — Goals: none. Assists: none. Shutout: Ignoto
