Cheney High School girls soccer head coach Nels Radtke was provided the opportunity to watch his Lady Blackhawks first two games from a unique vantage point — from the stands as a fan rather than the sidelines as a coach.
Radtke and assistant coach Matt Pollack were suspended from coaching the first two games due to red cards they received last year in questioning officials’ calls during Cheney’s playoff loss to Clarkston. With assistant coach Jesse Ratan calling the shots against Ferris and East Valley last week, Radtke and Pollack were free to watch the contests through different eyes, and despite getting shutout in both games, Radtke said he liked what he saw in his team.
“It was tough not coaching,” Radtke said. “But it was good for us to see some things.”
The Lady Blackhawks fell to visiting Ferris 4-0 in their season opener Sept. 8. The Saxons scored goals in the sixth, 24th, 56th and 78th minutes for the win.
Sept. 10, Cheney dropped a 3-0 decision on the road against defending Great Northern League champion East Valley, with all three goals coming from the Knights’ Skylar Bastin in the fifth, 26th and 52nd minutes.
Despite the losses, Radtke believes his team is in a better position than it was after the first week of the 2014 season. In those two games, Cheney lost 6-0 at Ferris and 5-1 to East Valley, and was never really in either contest, getting outshot by a total of 34-7.
By contrast, Radtke said the Ferris game could have easily have been 3-1 if Cheney had converted an early breakaway for a score. And where East Valley’s goals last year came off of set plays such as corner kicks and throw ins, not so last Thursday as Cheney defended well, but couldn’t clear the ball from in front of the net on several occasions, enabling Bastin to capitalize on opportunities and score.
Radtke said his young defensive back line played well. Another highlight was the return of goalkeeper Nicole Rowley, who played well despite a yearlong absence from the game to rehabilitate an injured knee.
Rowley had eight saves against East Valley, and 10 against Ferris.
Where Cheney needs to improve right now is doing a better job of getting the ball forward to create scoring opportunities, Radtke said, especially to senior forward Reba Eaton. The Lady Blackhawks were outshot 14-4 against Ferris and 12-1 at East Valley.
Radtke believes scoring will come with time, and thinks this week’s home games, a GNL match up with Clarkston Sept. 15 and a non-league tilt on the pitch Thursday against Greater Spokane League 3A Shadle Park, will provide the Lady Blackhawks with that opportunity.
“We’re in a good spot right now,” he said. “Obviously I would’ve liked to have won, but I like where we are.”
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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