MORGANTOWN – Emily Monti admitted she was fooled on Saturday throughout a highschool ladies’ soccer sport.
The College Excessive College goalkeeper thought Oak Glen’s Kami Ward was going to kick the ball to Monti’s left throughout a second-half penalty kick. As a substitute, Ward went proper.
Monti went into the splits and managed to push away the shot together with her proper foot.
That proper foot proved to be pivotal as Monti and the Hawks (4-4-3) held on to tie the visiting Bears 0-0.
“I wasn’t positive what aspect she was going to go,” Monti, who completed with seven saves within the contest, mentioned. “I used to be gonna attempt to see what aspect she was leaning to. I used to be leaning to the left, however she kicked it proper, so I put my foot out.”
That shot by Ward was as shut as both workforce got here to scoring because the Bears had 11 photographs and the Hawks completed with simply two within the contest.
“That’s the continued theme with us,” Oak Glen coach Invoice Watts mentioned. “We’re nonetheless fairly younger and I feel we began three freshmen at the moment and we’ve a few ladies which are new to soccer beginning on the sector as nicely. So, we’ve 5 new gamers enjoying soccer and we’re nonetheless looking for that rhythm offensively.”
UHS knew that in addition to the Hawks double-teamed Ward, one of many prime scorers within the state, all sport.
Graham Peace, the UHS head coach, mentioned he used junior Montana Johannsen and sophomore Keny Huckaby to shadow Ward all sport together with one different defender.
“(Ward) is unbelievable,” Peace mentioned of the Oak Hill participant who was averaging over 3.5 objectives per sport up to now this season. “We did handle to close her down, so I’m happy and what an outstanding save by Emily on the penalty.”
The tie helps the Hawks inch nearer to a berth within the Ohio Valley Athletic Convention match, however UHS nonetheless has work to do because it hosts Keyser at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
It was a tie that Peace mentioned was extra of a win for a younger Hawks workforce that’s making an attempt to construct momentum.
“I feel it was an excellent tie for us,” Peace mentioned. “I feel we constructed off of among the issues that we talked about after the Morgantown sport – which was going onerous to balls, shifting the ball higher and being extra cognizant of the place gamers are on the sector, and I feel we did that.”
The Hawks did have a few good scoring possibilities off nook kicks as each Gracie Oleksa and Huckaby positioned balls into the Oak Hill field, however the Hawks have been unable to capitalize.
Ultimately, it was the UHS protection that stood tall.
“We knew Wad was going to return and strain us,” Monti mentioned. “So, we put two on her each single time.”
Peace mentioned he’s proud of the advance of Monti in aim after some early struggles in her profession.
“She has been strong,” Peace mentioned. “She has improved each sport and she or he’s saved us in video games, and she or he’s been completely very good.”
BY ERIC HERTER
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