Skilled, speedy Pasco cruises past Moses Lake
Skilled, speedy Pasco cruises past Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE - After an inspiring comeback effort Saturday afternoon, the Moses Lake High School girls soccer team thought it was ready for the rigors of Columbia Basin League play.
The Pasco Bulldogs said think again.
The Bulldogs are annually one of the top 4A programs in the state and showed it Tuesday night at Lions Field, scoring early and often in 4-0 victory over the Chiefs. It was a performance Moses Lake head coach Ricardo Char wasn't surprised about, but he was a bit taken aback by the way his girls began the match.
"We waited for a whole half before we started to play," Char said. "If we just learn to come out to play from the get-go, we should be competing in every game.
"We can compete with the best of them, and Pasco's a top team in the league every year," he added.
The Bulldogs blitzed Moses Lake with their speed and skill from the opening kickoff. Sophomore midfielder Hailey Silvers cleaned up a rebound following a corner kick, giving Pasco a 1-0 lead in the first minute.
In the 15th minute, Pasco struck again with its persistent pressure. Nicole Grigg corralled a loose ball near the top of the penalty area and fired a shot that grazed off the fingertips of Chief goalkeeper Kelly Sutherland before hitting the back of the net.
Six minutes later, Pasco forward Marianne Johnson used a tremendous off-the-ball run to beat Moses Lake's defenders, eventually getting off a shot that slithered past a crouching Sutherland.
Morgan Sullivan ended the Bulldogs' offensive highlight reel in the 32nd minute. Grigg fed her with a right-to-left crossing pass, and Sullivan roofed it high over Sutherland.
Pasco piled up 28 shots on goal to Moses Lake' five, with Sutherland getting credit for 19 saves.
The Chiefs rarely threatened a poised and prepared Pasco defense, which was able to take fewer risks once it assumed a comfortable lead. Moses Lake's best scoring chance came with two minutes left in regulation as freshman forward Sydney Kimbro got an open look from 15 yards away, but missed wide left.
Char is excited about a solid crop of freshman and sophomores, all of whom are products of the Columbia Basin United select team.
Kimbro and Maggie Munoz should be solid additions to the striker position, while Jordan Loera adds depth to the midfield. All have great speed, Char said.
The coach thinks Kelly Sutherland will anchor his defense, but sophomore sweeper Becca Horan is also a huge key to stopping CBL foes. Horan switched over from forward last season and has played the position well ever since.
Senior co-captain Emily White and first-year varsity player Amanda Kimmel are also being counted upon to provide quality minutes in the defensive backfield.
The team continues league play this Saturday, traveling to Walla Walla for a 1 p.m. contest. Char wants his girls to work on ball possession and starting the game with a stronger mindset.
Moses Lake 5,
Medical Lake 2
Last Saturday, the Chiefs found themselves trailing again at halftime - this time against the Medical Lake Cardinals of the 2A Great Northern League. The Cardinals grabbed a 2-1 advantage after 40 minutes, but the Chiefs turned things around in a hurry.
Sophomore forward Megan Sutherland, a starter last season as well, was the key to the comeback. She scored Moses Lake's first three goals, the last coming on an assist from Munoz that gave the Chiefs a 3-2 lead with 10 minutes to play.
"She's a great target for us, has got great skills," Char said of Megan Sutherland.
Moses Lake got some insurance as the clock wound down. Senior co-captain Megan Frederick, a second team All-CBL selection in 2006, tallied a pair of goals, the first assisted by Kimbro and the second by Megan Sutherland.
"She's playing like a first team all-conference player right now," Char said of Frederick. "The girls' hard work in the preseason paid off as they looked much more in shape than Medical Lake."
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