Bears find space, take down Titans in girls soccer
Oct. 3—So much of Oakdale's success in girls soccer is framed in terms of the team.
Whether it be winning games, having long shutout streaks, challenging for or even winning state titles, deserved credit for the Bears is often collectively shared.
That was the case again Tuesday night after a 3-1 home win over previously unbeaten Tuscarora. But this victory, as opposed to some others, boiled down to great players making individually great plays to spur the team to a win.
"You can't give them space. You can't," Titans coach Troy Bowers said of Oakdale after the game. "We talked about it before. You give them space and see what happens. They always put the ball on frame. They are that good."
A little space is exactly what three of Oakdale's best offensive players found, and they made the Titans (6-1) pay dearly for it.
Sophomore striker Brooke Clagett won a challenge, found a little open space in the middle of the field and buried a shot nine minutes into the game to open the scoring.
Then, roughly seven minutes into the second half, senior striker Hannah Andree, dealing with a nagging groin injury, received the ball in space in the middle of the field and cracked an outstanding shot into the back of the goal from 35 yards away.
"It felt better that it went in," Andree said of making such a pristine strike.
Finally, about two minutes later, junior striker Ryleigh Alcala ran onto a ball just past midfield while being tightly defended.
But, despite the close quarters, Alcala never let the defender deter her from the task at hand. She dribbled down the field with the defender right on her right hip and then flicked a shot just inside of the far post to give the Bears a 3-0 lead at the 21:52 mark of the second half.
"Coach always tells me to go one-on-one," Alcala said. "Take that defender on. See what you can get. Create opportunities for the team."
The Bears improved to 6-1-1 overall, as coach Annie Schwarzenberg was pleased her team was able to showcase its considerable offensive firepower against a formidable opponent.
"We have a lot of really talented players up top that can really do special things, and that's what happened tonight," she said.
Tuscarora got on the board with 11:25 to play, as senior forward Ella Sheridan knocked in a ball that was pinballing around the Oakdale goal box, making the Titans the first Frederick County team to score against the Bears this season.
But Tuscarora did pay a price in the game, as senior defender Payton Pilson was helped off the field with an apparent leg injury, continuing a season-long trend for the Titans.
"We are going to see them again [in the playoffs], hopefully," Bowers said of Oakdale. "We just have to make sure the next time we go against them, we don't make the same mistakes."
Follow Greg Swatek on Twitter: @greg_swatek
