Sky View’s Jocee Chadwick (22) heads the ball as Ridgeline’s Izzy Baer defends on Thursday in Millville.
Sky View’s Jocee Chadwick (22) heads the ball as Ridgeline’s Izzy Baer defends on Thursday in Millville.
MILLVILLE — There are a few drawbacks to playing soccer on a football field.
For starters, artificial turf is not the most pleasant to slide on. The ball does not slow down as quickly as it does on natural grass, making it tough to control. And the aesthetic of a beautiful soccer pitch is lacking.
There is one bonus, though. For the untrained soccer eye, the yard markers on the field provide a built-in point of reference for spectators, and that made Ridgeline’s game-winning goal during Thursday night’s Region 11 girls’ soccer matchup all the more impressive.
Eight minutes into the game, Riverhawks senior Caitlyn Parry booted the ball from the 25-yard line and sailed it into the net at the edge of the end zone for the 35-yard — or 105-foot — goal. It proved to be the dagger as Ridgeline staved off a second-half offensive rally from Sky View to win 1-0.
For the Riverhawks (10-2, 4-1), it’s the third straight game holding its opponents scoreless in regulation, and the second win over the Bobcats of the season. Sky View, (5-6, 2-2) was shut out for the first time since August, and its two-game win streak was snapped, courtesy of Parry.
“I saw the ball coming at me and I saw a window, and I just took it,” Parry said of her head-turning goal. “It feels amazing. I mean, senior year, girls dream of having that shot.”
“That was one of the more determined shots that I’ve seen her take,” Ridgeline coach Mark Tureson said. “There was no doubt. When she hit it, she hit it technically well. And I think how quick she took it from that far out, I think that was the difference. It didn’t give the goalie time to get back into space.”
The goal from Ridgeline’s senior captain aside, it was an even, physical battle between two teams who faced each other just nine days prior.
After the Hawks controlled possession and created most of the goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, the Bobcats switched the dynamic of the game in the second half, forcing Ridgeline’s defense on its heels and taking several shots.
With 23 minutes remaining, SV center back Maysen McKay launched one from the 20-yard line, a line drive that just sailed up and wide. With 5:48 remaining, Sky View had a free kick near the top of the box but weren’t able to convert.
Ridgeline nearly provided insurance moments later, but senior Brynli Baker’s diving kick was blocked by SV goalkeeper Halle Hulce.
On the other end, the Hawks’ defense held out, much to the disappointment of the visitors.
“I think at halftime, we made a few adjustments and our girls went out and did everything we asked them to do,” SV coach Stacee Sparrow said. “We’re so proud of them. And, you know, that that one stings a little bit, Ridgeline’s a good team, we’ll build off of that. But our girls did phenomenal.
“We have been working a lot on the attack lately and our build-up, so our next step is to finish and that’ll be our next few sessions, and then it’ll all come together.”
For Ridgeline, which were missing key starters to injury, including standout sophomore midfielder Emilee Skinner, winning by the same margin against the same team despite personnel differences was a huge takeaway.
“We’ve got girls that are stepping up and stepping into spaces with some of our starters out, and we’re not seeing a drop in play,” Tureson said. “For me, that’s rewarding, right? That’s a good thing. Sky View is great, so for us to (beat them) twice — with different personnel — is growth.
Mountain Crest (9-3, 5-0) remained in sole possession of first place in the region standings with a 3-0 triumph at home over Green Canyon (8-4, 2-3), while Logan (4-8, 2-3) earned its first shutout of the season by a 3-0 scoreline over visiting Bear River (3-8, 0-5). Like the Riverhawks, the Mustangs and the Grizzlies were able to complete regular season sweeps over their region rivals.
It was another memorable defensive performance for Mountain Crest, which has yet to concede a goal in region play. Hadley Glenn went the distance in goal for the Mustangs, who secured their eighth clean sheet of the season. Mountain Crest has only allowed seven goals in 12 matches, which ranks first in the 4A classification.
“Shout out to our defense,” MC head coach Justin Beus said. “They are stingy. We have some things to clean up, but I’m proud of our team. They play hard for each other.”
Summer Sofonia scored directly off a corner kick in the first half for the Mustangs, who got second-half goals from Hadli Barrera and Andie Andrus. Barrera’s goal was assisted by Andrus.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were finally able to play on their home field for the first time this season. The track at Crimson Field has been under construction since May. Mia Lopez accounted for all three Logan goals, while Tacy Porter and Gwen Shaffer were each credited with an assist.
KryzLynn Ursek went the distance in goal for Logan.
“Tonight was definitely not one of our prettier games, but I’m proud of the girls for toughing it out and still getting the job done with Bear River playing hard the whole game,” said LHS head coach Natalie Norris, who side has played previous home games this season at Green Canyon and the RSL Academy building. “I’m excited we were able to finally get a shutout and that we were able to get our seniors at least one game on our home field. It felt so good to be home at last.”
HJ sports writer Jason Turner contributed to this report
Sign up today, or manage your subscriptions, to one of our great newsletters: Aggie Sports Crime and Courts Outdoors Breaking News Daily Headlines and much more!
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.