Sophomore Morgan Todd passed the ball to teammate junior Lisa Lyons last Thursday night.
Oxford goalie Sarah Stroope stepped out of the net to make a save and Lyons quickly took her shot. She kicked the ball past Stroope and into the net with 32:39 left in the second half of the soccer game.
The Lady Wolves continued to hold control of the ball and beat the Lady Wildcats, 6-1.
“I am very happy,” said Clarkston Girls Varsity Soccer Head Coach Sarah Wasilk. “They are finishing and working together. We have been putting a lot of work into it. We have been strong defensively but we have been struggling to score all season. The last couple games we have been able to put some goals in the net, which is nice.”
The girls opened their Senior Night a little slow but once junior Lindsey Adams scored the first goal the Lady Wildcats were in trouble.
Within a three minute span, Lyons and junior Caitlin Kirby scored two more goals to put Clarkston further into the lead at 3-0.
Oxford opened the second half with a goal from Sara Ruch, but it would be the only one to get through as defense kept the ball in Clarkston offense’s possession.
Junior Sarah McCallum added one more for Clarkston to the board four minutes into the second half to continue the lead at three points.
After Lyons’ goal a few minutes later, the girls kept making attempts on the net keeping Oxford on their toes.
“We came together especially in the second half,” said senior Andrea Butler. “We connected passes really well and we switched the field.”
“We finished,” added senior Jackie Gipe.
As the fog started rolling in over the field the girls continued to take their shots.
Adams gave her attempt with seven minutes left in the game. Her kick sent the ball in the air and inches away from the top bar of the net. The ball slid down against the netting as the girls celebrated their last goal.
Junior Andrea Dumais, Lyons, Kirby and Todd assisted on goals.
Clarkston made ten shots on goal during the night while Gipe made two saves for the night.
“Congratulations to my seniors,” said Wasilk after senior night. “They have been a great group of girls to work with and we will miss them a lot.”
The girls finish their regular season this week before they head to district playoffs.
“We need to work on playing 80 minutes of good soccer,” said Wasilk. “We are playing good soccer but it’s not consistent. We still have some weaknesses that are simple to fix, but it is more mental errors. It is just staying mentally strong and keeping our heads in the game.”
Butler and Gipe vividly remembered last year’s district playoffs and use their experience to motivate during practices.
“The biggest thing is taking it one game at a time,” said Butler. “Just remind them this is what we want – to go as far as we can go in districts.”
“One practice, one game at a time,” added Gipe. “Every day you have to practice like you play.”
“At the beginning of our season we were struggling it was hard to finish and we have definitely stepped up,” said Butler. “We are ready for playoffs.
The girls played Lapeer West on Tuesday. They finish the regular season at Lapeer East on Thursday. JV begins at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows.
They head to Oxford High School for the first round of MHSAA District playoffs next Tuesday, 7 p.m.
“It is going to be tough,” said Butler. “We know it is going to be a huge challenge. Everyone wants it. Everyone is going in with a good attitude and wants to work hard.”