The W.F. West girls soccer team showed good signs at times in its non-league opener at La Center on Tuesday, but had a few too many mistakes on the back line in a 4-2 loss to the 1A Wildcats.
“Overall, if you look at the game, I’m sure for a neutral watching, it was a very entertaining game,” said WFW coach Kevin Schultz, who made his debut on the touchline for the Bearcats.” It was a really fun game to be a part of, aside from a couple of those miscues.”
Shaela Bradley, La Center’s senior who spent the spring in the U-17 Women’s National Team camp, scored the Wildcats’ first goal in the sixth minute and assisted on the other three.
It didn’t take long for the Bearcats to level things after the opening strike, though. In the 12th minute, goalkeeper Staysha Fluetsch corralled a corner kick and sent an outlet pass to Emily Mallonee to get the counterattack underway. Rushing upfield, Mallonee found Zoey Robertson, who slotted it home to level the game at 1-1.
“It’s cool to see things you talk about in practice work in the game,” Schultz said.
La Center scored again in the 17th and went into halftime up by a goal, but six minutes out of the break, Ashlen Gruginski tied it back up.
The Wildcats finally got the game-winner in the 58th, and immediately followed it up with insurance in the 60th.
Fluetsch finished with seven saves in the first half, and Charlee Nelson added three in the second.
W.F. West is slated to host R.A. Long in its home opener Thursday.
