Brrrr – through cold, wind, rain….
Nothing keeps the Lady Cat soccer players off the field, and this past Wednesday was no different. Oxford faced off against Richmond in frigid temperatures and harsh winds to finish with a 2-2 tie.
The Lady Wildcats first goal of the game was scored in the first half by Deann Kujawa with 28:30 still on the clock. Oxford continued the strong defense and held Richmond for the rest of the half.
In the second half, Richmond scored a goal at 34:07, but Oxford came back fast with another goal by Kujawa at 25:15 to take the lead 2-1. This was the sophomore’s third goal of the season and career.
With just over 20 minutes left on the clock, the Lady Cats had a defensive error that scored a second goal for Richmond and tied the game. As the ball traveled parallel to the Oxford net, a Wildcat defensive player attempted to intercept and send a shot into the field; however, the ball deflected and shot into the goal.
‘Anybody who’s played defense knows this is going to happen at some point and can happen to anyone,? explained head coach Val Cerato.
Once again the Lady Cats fought against numbers – the team lost two players during the game. Junior Cortney Vassall was removed after about a half hour of play due to a knee injury; and teammate Holly Marshall received a yellow card during the first half with five minutes left on the clock. The judgement call was for a handball in the box.
The highlight player for the game was goalie Nicole Carter who had 17 saves, 12 of which were in the second half. Another important player was Chelsea McIntosh, who was brought up from JV to help the team.
With both teams having 22 goal shots each and a tight score, Cerato said her girls played hard right until the end.
‘It was as if they just didn’t want to let this game go without a win,? she said.
The varsity soccer team faces off next against Linden on Monday, April 28.
‘That’s going to be a tough game,? said Cerato. ‘Linden and Lapeer East are at the top of the league this year.?
The team goes into the game after a week off for spring break with an 0-4-1 overall record and 0-2 league record.