Mavs fall to Eisenhower in conference matchup

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks (7-5-1) played at home against Eisenhower on Tuesday evening, where they fell 1-4. Mavs head coach Alysha Overland said it was a tough loss for the team, but the team will bounce back for their next matchup.  

“The locker room energy was good, the girls’ mindset was good, we had a good practice yesterday so coming into the game it was good,” said Overland. “Unfortunately, we had a couple breakdowns and had a hard time battling back.” 

Eisenhower put up two quick goals in the first half while the Mavs responded with a goal of their own, making the score 1-2 by halftime.  

The Mavs came into the second half putting up a strong defensive performance and goalkeeper Emma Thompson putting good blocks up at the goal, but pressure from Eisenhower would ultimately take over with two additional scores and ending the game 1-4. 

“The girls played through with passion throughout the whole game,” said Thompson. “I think it just wasn’t our game, but we did really well.” 

She said going into their next matchup, the Mavs are going to need to work on watching their marks and getting first touches on the ball. Overall, the Mavs have the right amount of aggression, but just working on capitalizing on their opportunities will be key as they move forward. 

“I definitely think we could continue doing well,” said Thompson. “There’s just some small things we need to work on and then I think we’ll do great.” 

Overland said the Mavs should be proud of the fight that they put into Tuesday’s matchup. All the way until the end, she said,the Mavs were putting pressure on the goal and making attempts to put more points on the board. 

“It’s a good thing to not put our heads down and completely drop in energy,” she said. “They kept fighting through that so I think that’s a positive takeaway.” 

As the Mavs work toward their last game of the regular season and prepare for the postseason, Overland said the team will focus on playing simpler and not getting overwhelmed in situations when they are down in score. Overland said being calm and being quicker with their speed of play will be something that will greatly benefit the team in the coming weeks. 

She said the Mavs are still optimistic about where they stand in the season and are looking forward to postseason play. 

“Now it’s just making sure that the girls’ heads are still in the right place and they can bounce back from this and still are focused on having that postseason play because it’s part of their goal is to move on and I want to make sure that I’m sticking to that and pushing them to get to that point,” said Overland. 

The Mavs’ next game will be on the road as they travel to Eastmont this Saturday at 1 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

MLHS: 1-0: 1
EISN: 2-2: 4 

    Mavs player Lindsey Davis keeps the ball away from an Eisenhower player during Tuesday’s matchup. Mavs head coach Alysha Overland said she is confident in how the team is looking as they head into the postseason next week.
  

    Erin Ribellia makes her way into Eisenhower territory during Tuesday’s matchup. Mavs head coach Alysha Overland said the Mavs played with high energy from start to finish during Tuesday’s game.
  

    Mavs goalkeeper Emma Thompson kicks the ball toward her teammates in the midfield during Tuesday’s game against Eisenhower. Thompson said the Mavs played with full passion throughout the game.