2008 Girl's Season Soccer Articles

 

Saturday,June 7, 2008

BOBCAT'S SEASON ENDS IN REGIONAL FINAL
The Bobcats can honestly say that they have not seen a better team than the Utica Eisenhower Eagles and they just might have seen the eventual Division 1 State Champion.  The Eagles defeated the Bobcats 4-0 on Saturday morning in Saginaw to end the season for Grand Blanc.  The Eagles (21-0-1) move on to play another day as they will meet Grosse Point North in the state semi-finals on Tuesday night at their home field.  After waiting through rain and lightning delays on Friday night, the game was moved to early Saturday morning and the Bobcats took the field minus one of their top defenders.  Sophomore Tayler Ward was unable to play due to an injury so Coach Kehler had to shuffle the lineup for the contest. 

The Bobcats played well defensively at the beginning of the game but it was obvious that Eisenhower was dictating play.  The Eagle players made crisp short passes to move the ball up the field with a purpose.  Finally at the 27:28 mark the Eagles got on the board as a crossing pass from the right corner was directed into the right side of the net as Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Waier moved to her right along with the cross.  The game stayed 1-0 for another 11 minutes before the Eagles would strike again.  Again the play started by taking the ball deep into the right corner and crossing it out in front of the goal.  This time the initial shot was blocked by the Grand Blanc defense but the ball bounced right back to the Eagle forward and her 2nd shot found the net to make it 2-0.  Seven minutes later at the 9:31 Eisenhower made it 3-0.  The Eagles sent a long shot in from mid field and Waier raced out of the goal to get to the ball first but lady luck was not on the Grand Blanc side as her clearing pass deflected off another player and bounced right past her toward the goal.  The Eisenhower forward sped in to take the ball and place it into the wide open goal.  With about 3-1/2 minutes left in the half, Eisenhower sent a long through ball that appeared to catch the Eagle forward offsides as the Bobcat defenders pinched in.  However, neither the referee or the linesman saw it as being offsides and the Eagle forward took the ball directly in on Waier, faked to the right to get past her and again scored into the open net.  For the half, the Eagles outshot the Bobcats 14-6, putting 9 shots on goal to 5 for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats took the field in the 2nd half and showed pride in the way they played.  They were not about to roll over and play dead and gave it their all for another 40 minutes.  The heat was also a factor, even early in the morning as Bobcat players tried to stay hydrated as much as they could.  At the 26:11 mark, Senior forward Rachel Lawrence was sent off the field for 10 minutes as she was given a yellow card, although it was not very evident as to why.  At the 19:03 mark, Grand Blanc was called for an obstruction penalty in the box, giving the Eagles a penalty shot.  Waier stood tall on the goal line as the Eagle shot caromed off the left goal post and back out into play.  Four minutes later, the goal post again became Waier's friend as the Eagles sent a shot from the left side off the right goalpost.  Waier was able to stop all 9 shots on goal in the 2nd half to do her part in keeping the game 4-0.  Grand Blanc did get a couple of decent shots off in the final 10 minutes or so, but could not beat the Eagle keeper.

Grand Blanc finishes the season with a 16-5-2 record and will return much of the same team in 2009.  For the seniors, Alyssa Wombwell, Rachel Lawrence, Staci Farah and Alex Lord, it was their last game in a Bobcat uniform.  Best wishes to them all as they move on to the next chapter in their life.  For the underclassmen, we will see you all next spring and it should be another very successful season in 2009.  How many days until we all get to freeze in Walled Lake?  Just remember how hot it was on Saturday morning.

 

Tuesday,June 3, 2008

BOBCATS MOVE ON TO REGIONAL FINALS, BEATING TROJANS 1-0
The Bobcats inched closer to a Regional Championship Trophy on a cold and rainy night as they knocked off the Traverse City Central Trojans 1-0 in overtime.  The offensive hero on the night was Senior forward Rachel Lawrence as she hit the back of the net with 7:27 remaining in the first sudden death overtime period, with Freshman mid-fielder Mercedes Martinez getting the assist.  Defensively, Freshman goaltender Morgan Waier was brilliant in shutting down the Trojans, making 7 saves for her 10th shutout of the season.

Lawrence, nearly got on the board early in the contest as less than 2 minutes into the game, she drilled a very nice left footed shot inside the left goal post.  However, the Trojan goalkeeper dove to her right to grab the shot, keeping the ball from going into the net.  After a few early shots by TC Central, the balance of the first half belonged to Grand Blanc.  The Trojans went nearly 24 minutes without even registering a shot attempt as the Bobcats pressured the Trojan goal.  A Grand Blanc foul and a restart just outside of the box broke the drought, but Waier made the easy save.  Unfortunately, the Trojan keeper met the Grand Blanc challenge and stopped all 8 shots put on goal by the Cats in the half.  During the first 20 minutes, Waier made 2 saves as the Bobcats outshot TC Central 14 to 6.  Another indication of the one-sidedness in the half was that Grand Blanc was awarded 7 corner kicks to 0 for the Trojans.

The Trojans started strong again in the 2nd half but were not able to get the ball past Waier.  Both teams mounted a number of threats during the 2nd half, only to be denied by the defenders and the goalkeepers from each squad.  The best opportunity for either team came with about 11 minutes left in the half.  Junior midfielder Dani Rau started the play by sending a nice pass into open space in the right corner.  Sophomore forward Christi Leshock used her speed to catch up to the ball, get past the defender and send a nice crossing pass out in front of the goal.  The Bobcats leading goal scorer on the season, Junior forward Kristen Steffes was there and got her foot on the ball but sent it just over the top of the crossbar, keeping the game scoreless.  After 80 minutes of play, the game remained 0-0 and we were on to overtime.  Grand Blanc outshot Traverse City Central by a 14-9 count in the 2nd half, putting 7 shots on goal to 5 for the Trojans.

As overtime began, it was obvious that Grand Blanc had the upper hand.  Finally Lawrence was able to end the game with her 7th goal of the season at the 7:27 mark of the first overtime period.  The play started as Mercedes Martinez gained possession of the ball in the middle of the field just outside of the box.  Martinez took a long hard shot and drilled it high and over the outstretched arms of the Trojan keeper, directly off the cross bar.  The rebound came out to a charging Lawrence who buried the ball into the lower left side of the goal and the game was over.  The Bobcats outshot the Trojans in the overtime period 5-1 putting 3 on goal to 0 for the Trojans.

For the game, Grand Blanc outshot Traverse City Central 33-16 and 18 to 7 on goal.  Traverse City Central bowed out of the playoffs with a 16-5-2 record while the Bobcats improved to 16-4-2.  Grand Blanc must now return to Saginaw on Friday night to take on 3rd ranked Utica Eisenhower, which is undefeated with 1 tie on the season.  The game will again be played at White Pine Middle School at 6:00pm.  Eisenhower defeated Big Nine member Flushing 8-0 in the earlier semi-final game on Tuesday.  Good luck Bobcats!

 

Saturday,May 31, 2008

BOBCATS BEAT DRAGONS, CLAIM DISTRICT CROWN
The Grand Blanc Bobcats won the District Championship Saturday morning for the 6th straight year with a 4-1 vicotry over the Dragons of Lake Orion.  Senior Alyssa Wombwell led the offense with a goal and 2 assists while Rachel McCollum, Jenna Fraser and Julia Roberts each also scored goals and Dani Rau added an assist.  Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Waier played a great game in the win, making 13 saves and giving up the only Dragon goal on a penalty kick midway ion the 2nd half.

As the game began, the Dragons came out strong and appeared to control the action over the first 5-6 minutes, even though the Bobcats had the strong cross wind slightly at their backs.  The Bobcats were able to pick up the pace some after that and the game flowed pretty evenly back and forth.  Finally, in the 12th minute, the Bobcats were able to get on the board.  Alyssa Wombwell carried the ball into the inside the box directly in front of the goal.  After a nice spin move, Wombwell sent a nice pass off to the left of the goal where forward Rachel McCollum ran onto it and easily tapped the ball into the left corner of the goal to make it 1-0.  Five and a half minutes later, it was Wombwell again with the ball as she pulled it out of a scrum to the left of the goal and sent a nice pass to the right.  Mid-fielder Jenna Fraser made no mistake as she buried the ball into the top right corner of the goal to make it a 2-0 game.  Grand Blanc scored again with 12:36 remaining in the half when mid-fielder Dani Rau sent a pass back to fellow junior Julia Roberts.  Roberts drilled a shot into the top left corner of the goal from about 12 yards out to make it 3-0.  Other than the 3 goals, the first half was pretty evenly matched as Grand Blanc outshot the Dragons 12-11 and put 8 shots on goal to 7 for Lake Orion.

The 2nd half began much like the 1st half with Lake Orion starting off strong but the Bobcats picking up the play after that.  Up until the midway point of the 2nd half, the action was pretty even.  However, it began to change when the Bobcats were called for a tripping foul in the box at the 19:47 mark.  The Dragons took advantage of the call, placing the penalty kick inside the right post to pull within 2 at 3-1.  Two minutes later, the Bobcats nearly made it a 3 goal game again as Fraser took a long shot that the Dragon keeper jumped up and just got a hand on, deflecting the ball off the cross bar.  Although the Bobcats held on to the 3-1 lead, the last 12-15 minutes of the game belonged to the Dragons.  Lake Orion carried the play as they fired shot after shot on Waier.  With about 10 minutes remaining, the Dragons replaced their goalkeeper with a field player that stayed up near mid-filed as much as possible to keep the attach in the Dragon offensive end.  Grand Blanc was able to send a couple of long ball into the Lake Orion side of the field and then challenge the Dragon keeper outside of the box.  With 4:00 minutes left in the game, Wombwell took a long shot over the head of the Dragon keeper/field player way out of the goal, but the ball rolled just wide to the left of the goal.  Finally, with less than 2 minutes in the game, the Bobcats took advantage of a foul just outside of the box and Wombwell took a quick restart kick and placed the ball just inside the left post to make the score 4-1.  The Dragons did not give up but that would be the end of the scoring.  Waier was especially sharp in the last 10-12 minutes as the Dragons were able to fire 11 shots toward the net, putting 4 on goal.  For the half, the Dragons outshot the Bobcats 16-15 putting 7 on goal to 5 for the Bobcats.

Again, with the exception of the 4-1 score, the statistics were pretty even for the game as both team took 27 shots and the Dragons put 13 on goal compared to 12 for GB.  Both teams had 3 fouls called and Lake Orion got 5 corner kicks to 4 for the Bobcats.  Grand Blanc improved to 15-4-2 on the season and will face the Traverse City Central Trojans (15-4-2) in the Regional Semi-Final game on Tuesday night at 7:00pm in Saginaw.

 

Thursday,May 29, 2008

BOBCATS BEAT MILFORD IN DISTRICT SEMI FINALS
The Grand Blanc Bobcats made it past one more hurdle on their way to a District Championship as they knocked off the Milford Mavericks, 3-0 on Thursday afternoon in a District Semi-Final contest.  Milford defeated Waterford Kettering 3-2 in the 1st round of  District play to get to the semi-final game.  Kristen Steffes scored 2 goals for the Bobcats while Jenna Fraser added the 3rd goal.  Assists were handed out to Alyssa Wombwell, Rachel Lawrence, Tayler Ward and Steffes.  The Bobcats thoroughly dominated play the entire game as Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Waier only needed to make 1 save to pick up the win.

Grand Blanc got on the board early at the 37:36 mark of the first half.  With the first shot of the game for Grand Blanc, forward Kristen Steffes beat the Milford keeper low and to her right to make the score 1-0.  The play started on a pass from near the mid-field stripe from Alyssa Wombwell.  Steffes took the ball in stride and used her speed to blow past the Maverick defense and in on the goalkeeper all alone.  In the 23rd minute of action, the Bobcats would strike again.  Forward Rachel Lawrence sent a nice pass up the left sideline to Steffes, who again used her speed to get past the defense and pull the goal keeper toward her.  At just the right moment, Steffes sent a perfect soft pass to her right and in front of the net where mid-fielder Jenna Fraser was charging the goal.  Fraser easily knocked the ball into the wide open net to make the score 2-0.  That was all of the scoring in the first half as the Bobcats outshot the Mavericks by a 17-1 count, putting 12 shots on goal to 0 for Milford.

Milford came out with a little more offensive pressure to start the 2nd half but it didn't last long.  The only goal in the half was scored 7-1/2 minutes into the half.  Defender Tayler Ward carried the ball deep down the right sideline, eventually sending a beautiful crossing pass in front of the net.  Kristen Steffes was in the right place at the right time as she side stepped a Maverick defender and easily tapped the ball into the right side of the goal as the Milford goaltender was sliding across from right to left following the ball as it was crossed.  Once again, the Bobcats were able to get playing time for everybody on the roster, including the 5 newcomers up from the JVA squad.  Grand Blanc put 7 of their 11 shots on goal in the 2nd half while Milford was able to put 1 of 4 shots on goal.

The 28-5 shot advantage and 5-0 advantage on corner kicks was indicative of how much the Bobcats dominated the Mavericks during the game.  The Bobcats opponent in the District Final will be the Lake Orion Dragons.  Lake Orion advances to the finals by defeating Lakeland 5-0 on Tuesday and Clarkston 4-0 in the other semi-final game on Thursday afternoon.  The Final game will be played at 10:00am on Saturday at Don Batchelor Field.  The winner will advance to play against the Alpena District Champion in the Regional Semi-Finals, hosted by Saginaw Heritage, on Tuesday, June 3rd at 5:00pm.

 

Tuesday,May 27, 2008

BOBCATS KNOCK OFF BRONCHOS IN DISTRICT OPENER
The Grand Blanc Varsity soccer team started post season play with an impressive 4-1 win over the Holly Bronchos.  Leading the offense for Grand Blanc was Alyssa Wombwell and Kristen Steffes, each with a goal and an assist.  Dani Rau and Jenna Fraser also contributed goals in the win while Julia Roberts, Mercedes Martinez and Tayler Ward chipped in with an assist apiece.  Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Waier made 4 saves in the victory.

The Bobcats opened the scoring less than 5 minutes into the game.  Co-Captain Julia Roberts started the play as she passed the ball outside to fellow Junior, Kristen Steffes on the left.  Steffes carried the ball down the left side and eventually sent a nice crossing pass out in front of the net.  Senior mid-fielder Alyssa Wombwell made no mistake, burying the goal into the net to give Grand Blanc a 1-0 lead.  In the 8th minute, Roberts again sent a nice pass up to Steffes, who used her speed to fly past the Holly defense for a clean breakaway from the mid-field stripe.  However, the Broncho goalkeeper, came out of the net to challenge Steffes and got her hands on the ball to keep Holly within one goal.  Less than a minute later, with the Bobcats still applying the offensive pressure,  Freshman mid-fielder Mercedes Martinez made a beautiful crossing play from the right corner.  Steffes got to the ball first and touched it once, firing it into the top left corner of the net to make the score 2-0.  Just under 23 minutes into the game, following a Holly foul just outside of the box, Wombwell sent a restart kick onto the foot of Junior mid-fielder Dani Rau.  Rau took the ball to the right of the goal, got around the last defender and sent a sweet shot into the far left corner of the goal to make it 3-0.  The Bronchos finally got on the board with just over 5 minutes left in the half as a speedy forward got past the Grand Blanc defense.  As Waier came out to challenge, the Broncho player lifted a shot high and over the outstretched arms of Waier and into the net to make the score 3-1.  The half ended with Grand Blanc holding a commanding advantage in shots (18-5), putting 10 shots on goal to 3 for the Bronchos.

The second half started with a strong wind at the back of the Bronchos.  However, it didn't much matter as the Bobcats again dominated play.  Less than 3 minutes into the half, forward Jenna Fraser fired a long shot off the cross bar but the Bobcats could not command the rebound.  With just under 22 minutes left in the game, Holly was called for a foul just outside of the box on the right side of the goal.  After Tayler Ward touched the ball on the restart, Fraser again fired a long hard shot at the goal and this time it went over the goalkeeper and into the net for the 4th and final goal of the game.  The Bobcats again outshot the Bronchos in the 2nd half, taking 16 shots (8 on goal) compared to only 3 shots (2 on goal) for Holly.  During the 2nd half, Grand Blanc was able to look at their future as all five players brought up from the Junior Varsity for post season play, saw action on the field.  Those players include Junior defenders Danielle Ward and Joyce Chang, Junior mid-fielder Sydni Burke and Sophomore forwards Courtney Carr and Christi Leshock. 

Although Waier made 4 saves in the game, the defensive group of Co-Captain Rachel Wilson, Erin Toth, Kylie Laferney and Tayler Ward played very well throughout the game, continually denying the Holly offense in front of her, to minimize the chances.  The Bobcats move into District Semi-Final action at Don Batchelor Field on Thursday as they will face the winner of the Milford-Waterford Kettering game to be played on Wednesday night at Milford.  Game time is 5:00pm.

 

Thursday,May 22, 2008

 

JVA:   Hallelujah! On Thursday, May 22nd, we hosted Saginaw Heritage in JVA's last game of the season. We finished it in style with a 6-1 victory. We welcomed back Erika Eneix back after being on the sidelines after a concussion during the Davison game.      Kelsey Oskey started the scoring with a goal at 25:28 when she took the ball straight up the middle and shot it into the net to the right of the goalie after an over the top pass from defender Joyce Chang. Goal #2 came after a corner kick from Sydni Burke with a scramble in front of Saginaw's goal that Erika Eneix got a hold of & passed to Christi Leshock to  send into the net. Sydni also had a nice breakaway shot that pinged off the crossbar, but we finished the half up 2-0.
 

Christi Leshock scored her second goal early in the second half with a low shot that Saginaw's goalie let slip through her hands. Kelsey Oskey also got goal #2 for her at the 31:13 mark when defender Traci Carson floated a pass over the top that sent their goalie out for & Kelsey chipped it past her & in.  At 26:42, a surprise goal by defender Rachel Sczepanski came about after a restart direct kick from just outside the eighteen yard line that curved in out of Saginaw's goalie's reach. At 17:14, we did let down our guard & #16, Megan Kuhn shot a high line drive over Mackenzie Stratton's head to score their only goal of the game.  After Kelsey Oskey hit off the post & Alyssa Borowiak hit one off the crossbar, Christi Leshock recorded her third goal for the hat trick by out running the Saginaw defenders & sailing it in to end the scoring with 4:37 left to play.

Stats for  the game were GB 34 shots, with 23 on goal & 10 saves, compared to Saginaw's 12 shots, 8 on goal & 17 saves. Sportsmanship award winners were #21 Cassie Cobb for Saginaw & our own #13 Kelsey Castleman.  We finished the season with 13 wins, 3 losses, & 2 ties. Congrats & good luck to JVA players Danielle Ward, Joyce Chang, Sydni Burke, Christi Leshock, & Courtney Carr on being moved up to Varsity for district play.
 

Monday, May 19, 2008

BOBCATS DEFEAT HORNETS THEN PLAY WAIT AND SEE
In a key Big Nine match-up on Monday night, the Bobcats did what they have to do and now must wait and see.  The Bobcats defeated the host Hornets 3-2 but must now root for the Hornets to defeat or tie the Powers Chargers on Thursday evening.  If that happens, the Bobcats and Hornets will share the league title.  If Powers wins, they will carry the crown alone, if Kearsley and Powers tie the Bobcats and Chargers will share the league title.  In a dramatic game, that played right up until the end, Grand Blanc got 3 2nd half goals from Juniors Dani Rau and Kristen Steffes and Sophomore Jenna Fraser.  Senior Alyssa Wombwell added 2 assists in the game and Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Waier made some key saves to pick up the win.

The game started very slowly as neither team put up much offense in the 1st half.  Just about 14 minutes into the contest, the Hornets sent a perfect crossing pass out in front of the net.  A Kearsley player fired a hard shot on goal but Waier got her body in front of the shot and then hustled back into place before the Hornets could send a rebound home.  Three minutes later, it would be the Bobcats turn as Jenna Fraser sent a beautiful cross that was just our of reach of a charging Kristen Steffes.  As the half concluded, each team was able to muster 5 shots with each team also putting 2 shots on goal.  The Bobcats were called for 8 fouls in the 1st half while the Hornets were called for 5.  The scoring and fouls would both pick up in the 2nd half.

Five minutes into the 2nd half, the Hornets sent a hard shot in from the right corner, which Waier appeared handle.  However, the Hornets were charging the net and somehow the ball came free and was shot into the net, giving Kearsley the 1-0 lead.  Waier was injured slightly on the play and had to leave the game due to bleeding.  Rachel McCollum jumped in front of the net and was forced to make 1 save before Waier could return to the game.  Each team had a couple of good opportunities but then with 13:37 left in the game, the fun began.  Co-Captain, Julia Roberts was given a yellow card on an apparent hard hit on a Kearsley player.  She would be forced to sit out for 10 minutes.  Less than 2 minutes later, Alyssa Wombwell controlled the ball in pressure in the middle of the field about 18 yards out and somehow got it over to Mid-Fielder Dani Rau.  Rau fired a quick shot that got past the Hornet keeper low and to her right to even the score at 1-1.  At the same time, a Kearsley player was given a yellow card and removed from the field for unnecessary roughness.  Fifteen seconds later, there was another whistle as a second Hornets player was given a yellow card and removed from the field for a flagrant foul.  As the Hornets began to unravele, the Bobcats picked up the pace.  A tie would do the Bobcats no good so they needed to score another goal.  With under 6 minutes left in the game, Alyssa Wombwell rushed in on the left side of the keeper and crossed a pass that Kristen Steffes tipped into the right side of the goal giving the Cats their first lead of the game at 2-1.  With 4:33 left in the game, the Bobcats commit a foul just outside off the box.  As Wombwell charges the ball after it is touched, the referee blows the whistle again, giving Wombwell a seat for the rest of the game with a yellow card for moving in too quickly.  The 2nd opportunity for a restart was smothered cleanly by Waier.  As the Bobcats tried to run out the clock to seal the win, the Hornets somehow got control of the ball and sent it through the defense.  A quick Hornet player got to the ball first and beat Waier low and left to tie the score at 2-2 with 1:57 remaining in the game.  Grand Blanc once again picked up the pressure, playing to win the game.  At the 1 minute mark, the Bobcats sent a shot in on the Hornet keeper and as Alex Lord charged in, the Kearsley keeper defensively got her elbow up and the ref blew the whistle, giving the net-minder a yellow card in the penalty box.  Kearsley's coach was also handed a yellow card as he vehemently argued the call.  The Kearsley goalkeeper was forced to leave the game and the Bobcats were awarded a penalty shot on a new keeper.  Jenna Fraser stepped up and neatly fired a shot low and to the right, once again giving the Bobcats a 1 goal lead.  A subsequent yellow card was given to the Kearlsey coaches and a red card to a Kearsley player on the bench after the goal as the arguing continued.  This time, the Bobcats would not give ground and hold on for the exciting 3-2 win.

For the game, Grand Blanc outshot Kearsley by a 23-15 count, putting 14 on goal to 10 for the Hornets.  A total of 33 fouls were called in the game with GB collecting 21 of them.  In addition, 3 Kearsley players and 2 GB players were given yellow cards, and a red to a Kearsley player in addition to the Hornet coaching staff yellow.  The win closes out the Bobcats conference schedule with a 7-2-1 record, currently sitting all alone in 1st place.  Powers (7-2-0) and Kearsley (6-2-1) will play on Thursday.  A Powers win gives them the title.  A tie game or a win by Kearsley, gives the Bobcats a piece of the Championship, to be shared with Powers (if it's a tie) or Kearsley (if they win).  Grand Blanc ends the regular season with a non-conference match against the Hawks from Saginaw Heritage on Thursday.  The Bobcats take a 11-4-2 record into the tilt.  Game time is 7:00pm, following the JVA game.

 

JVA:   Mercy!! What an exciting $2.50 game at Kearsley on Monday evening, May 19th. We again recorded a mercy 8-0, & ended play at halftime.  Less than 4 minutes into the game, we started the scoring with Kelsey Oskey putting it into the net after Alex Warburton dummied the corner kick assist by Rachel Sczepanski.  Stephanie Ronan added one at 23:41 unassisted.  Less than 1 minute later, Kelsey Oskey scored her second goal of the game when Kearsley failed to clear the ball on a goal kick & she intercepted it & sent it in. Less than another minute passed & Kelsey Castleman took the ball down the right side of the field & soared one in. We then played for about 4 minutes without scoring again until Sydni Burke sailed one in over the Hornets goalie to increase our lead to 5-0. Again, less than 1 minute went by , and Christy Leshock dribbled the ball from the left side & scooted one into the net. At 14:31 defender, Danielle Ward took the ball down the right side, got tripped just inside the goal box & was awarded a PK, which she put low to the left of the goalie to continue our rout of the Hornets. At 9:14, Christy Leshock repeated her previous goal from the left hand side  to end the scoring. 35 minutes, 8 goals, game over! Mackenzie Stratton remained bored in goal with no saves on no shots. GB finished with 38 shots, 19 on goal. We finish our season at home with Saginaw Heritage at 5pm ,Thursday, May 22nd.
                                                                               Congrats on Varsity Win!!!!!
 

 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

CATS CLOBBER CAVS ON SENIOR NIGHT

It was Senior night on Thursday as the Cavaliers from Carman-Ainsworth came into Don Batchelor Field and the Senior Bobcat players did not disappoint.  Grand Blanc Seniors include forwards Rachel Lawrence and Alex Lord and Mid-fielders Alyssa Wombwell and Staci Farah.  Grand Blanc defeated the Cavaliers 8-0 for the second time this season, this time scoring 7 goals in the first half and the game ender 13 minutes into the 2^nd half.  Although Junior Co-Captains Rachel Wilson and Julia Roberts scored the first and last goals of the game, it was the Seniors that put up the bulk of the offense throughout.  Seniors Rachel Lawrence (2 goals and 2 assists), Alyssa Wombwell (1 goal and 3 assists) and Alex Lord (1 goal and 1 assist) led the way in the rout.  Other goal scorers beside Wilson and Roberts included Junior Kristen Steffes and Sophomore Rachel McCollum.  Additional assists were handed out to Sophomore Jenna Fraser with 2 while fellow Sophomores Tayler Ward and McCollum added 1 each.

 

Wilson opened the scoring 3 minutes into the game as she put her head on a corner kick from Wombwell which beat the Cavs keeper to make it 1-0.  In the 13^th minute, defender Tayler Ward carried the ball up through the middle of the field and sent a nice pass to Steffes, who buried the shot to the right of the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.  Six minutes later, Alex Lord one-timed the ball into the back of the net on a perfect feed by classmate Rachel Lawrence from the right side for the 3^rd goal.  With about 19 minutes left in the half, 3 Seniors teamed up as Wombwell carried the ball in towards the right corner, sent a nice crossing pass to Lord, who sent it back to Lawrence.  Lawrence fired the shot to the left of the keeper making it 4-0.  Less than 3 minutes later, Lawrence would find the back of the net again, this time on a nice crossing feed again from Wombwell.  With just over 13 minutes left in the half, the Seniors let the kids have some fun as Jenna Fraser sent a nice long ball passed the Cavalier defense and fellow Sophomore Rachel McCollum caught up to it and buried a shot over the goalkeeper outstretched fingers to make it 7-0.  With only 1 more goal needed to end the game, the Bobcats tried to work the ball into Senior Staci Farah to get a clean sweep on Senior goal scoring for the night.  Staci made a couple of nice rushes and getting off some quality shots, only to be denied by the Cavalier net minder.  Finally, Farah was able to knock one passed the keeper into the net, but an offsides call on the play nullified it.  For the half, the Bobcats outshot the cavaliers by a 31-1 mark, putting 18 shots on goal.

 

The 2^nd half started much as the 1st half ended as Farah’s teammates tried to get her the ball for the game ender.  Unfortunately, it would not be on this night and with 13 minutes into the 2^nd half, Julia Robert would score the 8^th and final goal on a beautiful feed from Lawrence in the right corner.  Fraser started the play by spotting a wide open Lawrence on the right side of the field and sending the ball her way.  The Bobcats took 8 shots in the half, putting 5 more on goal while the Cavs never even gained possession on their own side of the field.

 

Although she didn’t get on the board scoring, Senior Staci Farah was selected by the Cavalier fans as the Sportsmanship Award winner for the Bobcats.  Cavalier goaltender Alexis Martindale was chosen by the Grand Blanc fans as the cavalier Sportsmanship Award winner.  The Bobcats improved to 6-2-1 in the Big Nine and 10-4-2 overall.  The next game will be a Big Nine showdown with the Kearsley Hornets at Kearsley on Monday evening, following the JVA game which begins at 5:00pm.