GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Aberdeen 1, Adna 0
Emma Green’s successful penalty kick late in the first half proved to be the difference as Aberdeen beat Adna 1-0 in a close defensive battle at Stewart Field in Aberdeen on Thursday night.
Green drew the foul when she was brought down in the box in the 34th minute after winning an aerial battle for the ball. On the PK attempt junior forward aimed for the upper right hand corner, with her shot clanging off the bottom of the crossbar past Adna keeper Makaela Meister to give Aberdeen the 1-0 lead.
Aberdeen assistant coach Ben Barene praised Green’s aggressive style of play that caused the foul.
“If you’re aggressive and try to win the ball up front, that’s when good things are going to happen. If you make the defense have to make a play on you, good things are going to happen for you most of the time,” he said. “We’re not always looking for the penalty, but with Emma it’s something that happens quite a bit.”
Aberdeen’s Emma Green protects the ball from Adna’s Brynn Arrington (17) in the first half of a match on Thursday at Stewart Field. Green scored the only goal of the game off of penalty kick in Aberdeen’s 1-0 victory. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Adna (3-1-1) never got on the board, but the Pirates forwards kept pressure on the Bobcats backline. Aberdeen’s fullbacks limited shots from close range and Bobcats keeper Char Gutierrez was up to the task when it came to shots from the outside. Gutierrez made 13 saves on her way to her second shutout of the season.
Though he would have liked to see the Bobcats (3-2) hold on to the ball a bit more, Barene said he was pleased with how Bobcats defenders stood up to the pressure.
“We wanted to try to keep possession as long as we could and (Adna) would win it back and go into transition,” he said. “It turned out we had to defend a lot, which was hard to do, but I thought we played really well defensively. It was a great job by the backline.”
Aberdeen’s defense continued to withstand the pressure late in the second half as the majority of the Pirates’ opportunities in the final minutes were snuffed out with timely tackles and blocked shots. Adna managed just one shot through to Gutierrez in the final 15 minutes of the match.
Aberdeen picked up its third win of the year, but it was also Barene’s first win as acting head coach with head coach Larry Fleming unavailable for Thursday’s contest.
Aberdeen’s first 2A Evergreen League match of the year is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday against Centralia at Stewart Field.
Barene said it was a little stressful juggling a lineup with a few starters missing, but said he enjoyed being at the helm of the team for the victory.
“We were getting low with our bench players today since we had players out with sickness and injury,” he said. “Trying to sub on the fly while trying to find a fit that works for our team was tricky, but it was fun.”
Aberdeen 1 0 – 1
Adna 0 0 – 0
Top Players: Aberdeen – Green (G, 33rd minute), Gutierrez (13 saves)
Aberdeen’s Madison Gore, left, chases down a loose ball with Adna’s Cierra Swenson close on her heels in the second half of a match on Thursday at Stewart Field. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
