Lady Hawks show upside in loss to BND

GETTING BETTER

We're getting better every single game, playing more and more as a team. More physical, more aggressive. And that’s a good sign.”

Jess Young, Lady Hawks soccer coach

DONNELLSON — It was a 4-0 loss to Notre Dame-West Burlington on Friday night, but there were still smiles on the faces of Central Lee’s girls soccer team.
The Hawks are winless in nine matches this season, but being able to play a full 80 minutes against the Nikes was a sign of how much they have improved since the last time the two teams played — a 10-0 ND-WB win on April 16 in a game stopped at halftime because of the 10-goal mercy rule.
“I am very proud of the girls,” said first-year Central Lee coach Jess Young. “The last time we went against this team, we didn't even make it to the second half, so we definitely held them and we were a lot stronger. We're getting better every single game, playing more and more as a team. More physical, more aggressive. And that’s a good sign.”
The Hawks only trailed 1-0 at halftime, and outside of a couple of goals that had some misfortune attached to them, played even with the Nikes in the second half.
“A lot of this season, we haven’t been able to fully play the second half,” Young said. “But I think we held up very well. I didn't see too much slacking. Obviously, there was some tiredness, some fatigue set in, but I think they did very well.”
The Nikes opened the scoring quickly, getting a goal from Daisy Hazell 2 ½ minutes into the match. But that would be ND-WB’s only goal of the half as Central Lee’s defense, with goalkeeper Aubree Bunnell playing one of her best matches of the season, kept the Nikes in check.
“I thought we were in pretty good shape only down one at halftime,” Young said.
Bunnell stopped Hazell’s penalty kick early in the second half to keep the Hawks only down one goal. Then came the misfortune.
Avery Jeffries gave the Nikes a 2-0 lead with 28:22 left to play, scoring a goal against a short-handed Central Lee defense. B Young, a junior defender, was injured moments before the goal and was face down in the grass near the right corner, but play continued and Jeffries was able to score.
The Nikes went up 3-0 with 26:26 to play when Hazell’s shot hit the left post, but got enough of a carom to go into the net as Bunnell could only watch.
Hazell added the Nikes’ final goal with 19:15 to play.
“I thought Aubree was amazing,” Jess Young said of her first-year goalkeeper. “She's always been good since she started, but today she was really laser-focused.”
Central Lee plays at Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union on Tuesday.