It’s How You Bounce Back
The women’s soccer team will look to bounce back after a tough loss to Brebeuf, just their second defeat of the season.
The women’s soccer team had a rocky start to its season, as in its first game on Aug. 13, they faced a very talented Noblesville team and lost, 4-0. But the team made sure that the loss was not the start of a trend. They bounced back, winning their next game, 3-0 versus Tri-West Hendricks
That first win proved to be a momentum shifter for the team, as they climbed to a 6-0-2 record following the first loss to the Millers. This impressive run included wins against Fishers and Avon, who the team battled on Aug. 27. They defeated Fishers 1-0 in the first game of the doubleheader behind a goal from sophomore Abby Beasley. The team followed up the victory by beating Avon 2-0. Freshman Lauren Robertson scored, and senior Anna Spellacy added the second goal off of a penalty kick.
On September 3, the team competed in the annual Lady Eagle Invite, playing a doubleheader in the event hosted by Zionsville. They began the event with a 2-2 tie with Louisville Assumption, the fourth ranked team in Kentucky at the time. Beasley and fellow sophomore Emma Drewry did the scoring. Later in the day, the team bounced back from the tie, defeating Louisville DuPont Manual 3-1 behind goals from Spellacy, Beasley, and junior Eliza Langfeldt.
The team faced yet another tough test on Sept. 7, when they hosted Brebeuf in a rematch of last year’s Regional final game, which Brebeuf won 2-0. This year’s Brebeuf team came into the game ranked second in class 2A, and was ranked by IndyStar as the fourth best team in the state regardless of class on Sept. 6. The Irish came into the game ranked eighth in class 3A.
The game was close from the start, as neither team could find the back of the net. The Irish defense held strong behind a few great saves by senior goalie Kate Phillips, and the game was tied 0-0 going into halftime.
Coming out of the break, both teams went on the attack. Brebeuf struck first, sending a corner kick past Phillips to take a 1-0 lead. But it did not take the Irish offensive much time to respond, as less than ten minutes later, junior Catherine Cline took a corner and passed it off to Spellacy, who then sent the ball towards the net, where Beasley sent it past the Brebeuf keeper to tie the game again.
Brebeuf answered back quickly, however, scoring almost immediately afterwards, and after they retook the lead, the Braves did not give it back. The game ended with a 2-1 Brebeuf victory. But despite the loss, the team did not back down from a team thought to be better than them.
The team will look to bounce back from its second loss of the season by winning its next games. They will travel to Zionsville on Sept. 10 for a matchup with the Eagles, who are yet to lose a game and hold a 6-0-4 record as of Sept. 7.
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Luke Spencer is a senior in his fourth year on the Irish Connection staff. He serves as the sports editor and executive editor. Luke plays on the varsity...