By Kyle LoJacono
The Steinbrenner girls soccer team continued its run of dominating play by winning 3-0 at Wharton Jan. 9.
The Warriors (13-4) have won their last 10 games after starting the season 3-4, the first time the fourth-year program has ever been below .500. It was the Wildcats (13-4-4) who started Steinbrenner on its downward spiral with a 2-1 win in penalty kicks in the final of the Wharton Invitational on Nov. 3.
The Warriors were scheduled to host the contest as their senior night, but a malfunctioning sprinkler system created a hole in the field, rendering the surface unplayable.
“Yesterday night at about 8 they told us the game was moving,” said senior forward Alexis Bredeau. She added, “A lot of us were really mad that we couldn’t have our senior night on our home field, but we had to deal with it. … What really fueled us was them wanting to beat us on our senior night on their field. It was just like, ‘No, you can’t do that.’”
Steinbrenner has outscored its opponents 58-2 during the winning streak, which started Nov. 30 against Robinson. The date also coincides with the Warriors going to a 4-3-3 formation and getting back junior defender Miranda Gonzalez from a torn hamstring.
“We’ve been focusing on our top three putting pressure on them for all 80 minutes,” said Steinbrenner coach Angela Gillisse. “In the second half of the season they’ve been just so consistent with it. With our three center mids supporting them, and then Miranda in the back, means Alexis doesn’t feel like she has to drop back.”
Bredeau has 21 goals and eight assists during the winning streak. She has a team-high 30 tallies this season, 85 in her career.
Junior forward Jessica Taylor started the scoring against Wharton in the 16th minute. Steinbrenner dominated play, forcing five corner kicks, had five shots on goal and hit the left goal post in the opening period, but Gillisse was not pleased with being ahead 1-0 entering the second half.
“I told them at halftime it should be 5-0 and they should have no opportunities,” Gillisse said. “Told them they get no shots on goal in the second because it was ridiculous that they got the shot they had, and it only happened because our center midfield fell apart. … That’s what happens with every goal that comes against us the last few games, and we have to eliminate that.”
The Warriors came out of halftime quickly, with Bredeau heading in a cross from Taylor in the 45th minute and junior defender Megan Haraschak lobbing a shot from 25 yards out over Wharton goalkeeper Courtney Bodamer’s head three minutes later.
“It was more looking for Alexis in the corner,” said Haraschak about her first goal of the season. “She makes that run in to the back post all the time. … When I hit it with my laces I thought that might go in. It just worked out that I lofted it in with my left foot.”
Gillisse is pleased with her team’s play as districts approach.
“The second half of the season we’ve been out to prove something to everyone,” Gillisse said. “I talked to the girls about sending a message as we go into districts. … I was listening to Alabama coach Nick Saban, and in his postgame interview he said he demands for his team to play better every single game than they did the previous game. That’s what we need to do going into districts. We have to want to be a better team every single time we step out on that field.”
The Wildcats were battling several injuries. Allison Etheridge and Taylor Hubbard didn’t compete, leading scorer Ashni Deschenes played about 17 minutes and Lexi Oeth and Leah Chisolm appeared very limited with what they could do.
Wharton coach Denis Vurkorep said he wasn’t going to risk further injury in the contest.
“It’s a nondistrict game right before districts,” Vurkorep said. “I didn’t want someone to go all out and hurt themselves and not have them for districts. I saw Ashni go tentative at a ball, and when I saw that I pulled her out. That’s all I needed to see. … If this was that district game they’d have all played.”
The Wildcats play Alonso Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Class 5A-District 7 tournament at Plant as the No. 2 seed. They would play the winner of the Newsome-Riverview matchup Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. if they get by their quarterfinals game. The final is Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.
Steinbrenner is still set to host the Class 4A-District 8 tournament. The No. 2 seeded Warriors receive a bye into the semifinals and will play the winner of the Gaither-Chamberlain quarterfinal Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. The final is Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
