The Wildcats busted the Bronchos last Wednesday 2-1 to capture their first victory of the season. Oxford scored the first goal five minutes into the game by senior capt. Alex Johnson.
‘It was a real cracker,? said coach Mark Sullivant, noting that it caught Holly off-guard. ‘Alex has excellent shooting ability and she put it in a place with such velocity that the keeper had no chance to stop it.?
Just before the end of the first half, Holly scored on Oxford making it 1-1. The game was a physical one with a few minor injuries on behalf of both teams.
At the half, the girls tried their best to control the midfield and take Holly’s best forward out of the game.
Oxford’s break came not five minutes into the second half when junior Brianna Pastewski took a corner kick which deflected to freshman Beth Downs who in turn scored her second goal of the season.
The girls had several other chances to score during the second half, but were unable to compromise a tough Holly defense.
Sullivant credits the play of senior captain Jackie Patterson and junior Olivia Stevens with very smart defensive plays the entire game.
‘The stellar play of junior Brittany Moncrieff, who played forward most of the game, along with Downs, put tremendous pressure on the Holly defense,? he said. ‘Freshman goalkeeper, Sarah Stroope, was solid in the net.?
On Saturday, the girls played three games, losing 1-0 to Flint Kersley and 3-0 to Lapeer East. But the team came back to beat Brandon 2-1 with Moncrieff and senior Nicole Ayers scoring goals.
On Monday, the girls beat Clio 1-0 with Moncrieff scoring the winning goal. She was assisted by Pastewski.
Oxford takes on North Branch tonight at 6:30 p.m. at home.