Cardinals lose focus in soccer losses

Youth is what will eventually help bring success to the Medical Lake girl’s soccer program, but there are growing pains along the way.

That’s how it was as the Cardinals opened their 2015 season with a pair of nonleague losses, 5-1 at home to St. Georges, Sept. 10 and 4-0 on the road in Pullman, Sept. 12.

“We started off real well,” head coach Zane Higgins said. “We had five or six really good goal scoring opportunities in the first 10-15 minutes of the game.” The Cardinals trailed 1-0 at the half but then saw the Dragons score three times in 14 minutes to run away with the game.

Makayla Geiger scored Medical Lake’s lone goal in the 78th minute on an assist from Nicole Wetherall. Mary Neder and Cate Caporicci each scored twice for St. Georges. Medical Lake was outshot 11-7 with Emalee Steinke making five stops and Taylor Cannon two.

“We just couldn’t put them away, we were getting opportunities,” Higgins said.

Mental mistakes hurt his team, Higgins said. Lack of focus has been the clear difference so far. “And that’s something we need to work on.”

That was the case in the first couple of minutes in Pullman.

“We got two goals scored on us in the first two minutes of the game,” Higgins said. “That’s the time when we’re most vulnerable, the first five minutes of the half and the last five minutes of the half. Madi Mueller and Alexa Yadama netted goals in in the first and second minutes of play, the first of two goals each on the day for the pair.

Higgins stressed to his team the importance of staying focused the whole time and make teams earn goals they score.

Medical Lake began Northeast A League play this week with contests at home this past Tuesday versus Colville and today, Thursday, Sept. 17 against Deer Park at 4 p.m. at the school’s soccer field.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].