Knights fair well in 2-0 loss to Voyager
Mar. 22—OXFORD — The Vance Charter Lady Knights were bested by Voyager 2-0 on Thursday at the Granville Athletic Park.
The Vikings are viewed as the best team in the conference, and the Knights faired well against a strong, in-conference opponent.
Vance Charter runs a 3-5-2 formation with only three defensive backs on the final line of defense. A concern for many of the girls to start the year, the Knights proved they could handle it, holding a top-tier team to only two goals.
Out of the five midfielders and two strikers, junior Katherine Suther sits in the middle of all the action as the epicenter of not only the lineup but the team as well. Offensively and defensively, Suther is their spark — hounding dribblers in the midfield and supplying the firepower to burst open an opposing team's defensive gameplan.
In a 1-0 deficit in the first half, Kat Suther kicked the ball into the air to a good spot, but freshman midfielder Abby Anderson took too strong of a touch and turned it over. On the counterattack, Voyager blasted the ball high into the net to go up two.
Good dribbling from Voyagers' defenders cleared another dangerous situation, and an audacious attempt from Suther from outside the box gave the ball up again the next time down.
Vance Charter made multiple runs to end the half but was unable to secure a successful offensive possession.
Voyagers' head coach, Joe Shields, implored his team to slow down and take their time when advancing the ball in their half of the field.
"We just needed to let the ball move," Shields said after the game. "We have to do the simple things well."
Whenever they make a pass, the Vikings are supposed to send a message behind it: "Man on!", "one behind!", etc.
"It's a simple game but we're complicated students," said Shields.
The pace of play was "another level" compared to their game against Henderson Collegiate, according to Vance Charter head coach Johnny Yount.
After not seeing much action in their first two games, Vance Charter's goalie, Addison Clary, has 12 saves in their loss against Voyager.
The second half started with an injury to a Vikings midfielder who hobbled off the field after stepping awkwardly on the ball. Play resumed shortly afterward, and Voyager continued to show fluency on offense. Advancing on a run but missing their chance on a cross, Shields was advocating for a holding foul for his squad.
More brilliance was shown on offense as they successfully executed a give-and-go for a chance, but senior defender Caroline Craddock flashed some great defense, selling out to get a foot on the ball.
With Clary directing her squad's defense from the net, simple passes set up another attack for the Voyagers. But the Knights worked together to clear the danger. After seeing decent passing in the first half from the Knights, the second half was a different story with their offense stalling.
However, Yount was proud of his team for its "180-degree turnaround" from the game against the Durham Unicorns.
Their next battle will take place back at the GAP when the Knights face off against the 1-2 Roxboro Community Bulldogs.
