MANSFIELD – Mansfield Christian lost 12 players from last year’s district runner-up girls soccer team. But the youngsters taking their place served notice again Thursday night the future remains bright for the Flames.
Sophomore forward Allie Malyer scored two goals and an MCS team with just two seniors made it stand up during a 2-0 non-league victory over Mansfield Senior on the Flames home pitch.
The win raised the Flames’ record to 2-3-1 with three regular-season games left before the state tournament begins. MCS coach Jammi McClead admitted this is a radically different season than 2013.
“We lost the 12 players from last year, including eight seniors who graduated. We have three girls who have never played soccer before. And with a roster that has 13 girls on it, the substitutions are definitely different and the fluidity of the game is much more difficult,” McClead said.
After a scoreless first half, a period in which the Flames dominated possession, Malyer put Mansfield Christian on top less than 90 seconds into the second on a give-and-go score as pretty as any seen on a basketball court.
Malyer passed the ball to the foot of freshman Elizabeth Sparks and then raced into the box for a perfect return pass that she easily converted into a 1-0 lead with 38:31 showing on the clock.
That’s how the score remained until the 1:16 mark when Malyer got tangled with a Tygers’ defender in the box, earning a successful penalty kick attempt.
“Allie is only a sophomore and we are fortunate we will have her around for two more years,” McClead said. “She is one of the young players we are building on. We can put her in the middle of the pitch and she just takes control of the field.”
PREMIUM ON SCORING: The win on Thursday was only the third game this season in which the Flames have put the ball in the net. MCS failed to score in the first half against the Lady Tygers, despite dominating play on the field.
“Scoring goals has definitely been difficult for us this season,” McClead said. “I was not pleased with how we came out the second half. We let them dictate play to us. Part of it is the number of players we have. It’s difficult to maintain the pace for 80 minutes.”
ROAD WARRIORS: It was the final home match for Mansfield Christian, who honored seniors Zoe Young and Gabby Zaika before the game. MCS has three road matches left, at Crestview on Tuesday, and then games at Mansfield St. Peter and Loudonville.
IMPROVING TYGERS: Though his young team (only four seniors) fell to 0-13, Mansfield Senior coach Dustin Hosler has seen steady improvement. “When you start with a very raw group like we have, any improvement in fundamentals is a huge step.”
One key to that improvement is sophomore goal keeper Faith Owens. The transfer from Clear Fork recorded a half-dozen official saves on Thursday and thwarted several other Mansfield Christian runs with aggressive work around the box.
“She is playing with a lot more confidence and is getting comfortable in the goal,” Hosler said. “She is pushing herself to become better. It’s a testament to her hard work. She is fearless out there right now. The difference between now and early this season is night and day.”
SPEED SAVES: Another rapidly improving Mansfield Senior performer is freshmen defender Maranda Cline, whose speed helped to stop MCS runs throughout the match.
“A lot of it is positioning, but Maranda is really quick,” Hosler said. “She is developing quickly. We are comfortable putting her back there alone because we know with her speed she can get it done.”
OCC TOURNAMENT NEXT: It was the final regular-season game for Mansfield Senior. The Lady Tygers have the unenviable task of traveling to state-ranked Clear Fork on Thursday to begin the Ohio Cardinal Conference post-season tournament.
