It was only a short while ago that the Clarkston girls varsity soccer team was all smiles. As the team got off to its best start in recent memory, there was avid hope for the Wolves to challenge for the league title. And while a league title is by no means out of the question, the Wolves will have an uphill climb the rest of the season.
Clarkston dropped both of its games last week, losing to Royal Oak Dondero April 27 and to Royal Oak Kimball two days later. The Wolves lost to Dondero 4-2 and fell to Kimball 3-0.
Clarkston led in the first half against Dondero 2-0, but then allowed four unanswered goals. However, Clarkston did not just lose the game. The Wolves will also be without senior midfielder Liz Hardy, who injured a hamstring against Lake Orion and coach Tami Niemi said she believes Hardy will be out anywhere from two to six weeks.
‘We’re trying to find the right person to play center mid for us right now,? Niemi said. ‘We might play Kelly Dougherty up there and if we do, I think we’ll still be okay on defense. Kelly will just have to control the play a lot more.?
Niemi said the games against Dondero got off to a good start, but then took a turn for the worse.
‘In the first 10 minutes I think we looked good. But then they started to kill us on the outside,? she said.
Against Kimball, the Wolves were scored against on a goal kick and Niemi said her team had no offense at all. ‘We really struggled out there. They definitely outplayed us. It was a rough night,? she said.
Niemi said her team’s biggest challenges lately might well be mental.
‘We just seem to have a hard time making a quick first decision out there,? she said. ‘That’s something I want to emphasize in practice this week.?
She also said she needs to see junior midfielder Taylor Hosner take on a bigger role, especially on offense.
‘She needs to be more positive out there and push it forward more,? Neimi said. ‘She has a tendency to play more negatively or defensive and we’ll need to switch that around a bit.?
With the two recent losses, the Wolves dropped to 4-3-2 overall and are 2-2-2 in the league, right in the middle of the pack, according to Niemi.
The Wolves resume action May 6 at Rochester at 7 p.m. The Wolves don’t return home until May 13 when they host Andover at 7 p.m. That night is also youth night, where all children wearing a soccer jersey get in free. Additionally, there will be a pre-game scrimmage before the JV game, door prizes and a shootout. All the festivities are set to kick off at 4:15 p.m. at the Clarkston High School soccer field.