Abilene Wylie girls soccer dominates Midland Greenwood, Bulldogs lose 1-0 to Brownwood
It took just over a minute for the Wylie girls soccer team to score two goals and it never slowed down in Tuesday's 10-0 win against Midland Greenwood.
The first goal came 27 seconds into the game and the Lady Bulldogs doubled their lead 51 seconds later. The rout was on.
By the end of the first half, Wylie (3-4-1) led 7-0 before adding three more goals in the second half.
"We've been working on attacking stuff and we're pretty young, so we're still figuring out those final pieces," Wylie coach Madison Martin said. "It was really exciting to start off strong and they really never stopped working hard. It was nice to see them not let up and keep working the whole game."
This is the first season for soccer, girls and boys, at Greenwood. Though Wylie was in a position to outmatch its opponent from the start, there still were things the team had to get done in the 80 minutes.
"We try to approach each game the same," Martin said. "No matter who we're playing, we want to get better at the things that will help us in district. We set a few goals for today, like we want to better at corners and certain things. That's how we try to approach it … we want to get better."
Six Lady Bulldogs scored with another three getting on the scoresheet with assists. Kamryn Newman had a had trick while Rozlyn Rumsey and Addison Adkins scored two goals each. Skylar Stump, Allie Allen and Maggie Fellona scored one goal apiece. Stump also had four assists, Madison Lazirko assisted on three goals while Maci Hanson and Gabby Gingrich had an assist each.
Four of the goal scorers are a freshman and three sophomores. Even some of the upperclassmen are getting some of their first significant varsity playing time. Having that kind of offensive success and enjoying a win goes a long way.
"I think a good confidence builder for some of them that are still freshmen, new to high school soccer," Martin said. "It's exciting for them getting more confident in their role, especially going into district next week. I think that's everything. They can step on the field confident and ready to go."
Wylie is at home Friday against Granbury before beginning District 4-5A play against Lubbock Coronado on Feb. 4.
Not only will the game be a final chance to make some adjustments, it is the second time the Lady Bulldogs have played Granbury this season. A big part of district play is facing a team twice.
"We just played them in a tournament and tied them 0-0," Martin said. "We'd like to use some of the attacking stuff we improved upon today, hopefully get a goal and continue the shutout. It will be a good test for Coronado."
Bulldogs searching for finishing touch
A first half goal was enough for Brownwood to beat Wylie 1-0 at Sandifer Stadium.
The Bulldogs dominated position and the chances in the second half, but were unable to break through with an equalizing goal.
"The kids deserve the reward," Wylie coach Clay Vaughn said. "They've put in work, put in work and they continue to have themselves in the right positions. To see them not be rewarded is the thing that hurts, the thing that kills you as a coach. Your players work so hard, you spend so much time with them, you see what they're doing in and out of practice, fighting in practice. … Then to not get the reward, it is what it is. All you can do is keep on slugging."
Wylie travels to Bridgeport on Friday before opening District 4-5A play at Lubbock Coronado on Feb. 4. Playing a rival such as Brownwood gives the Bulldogs a taste of what it will be like game in and game out in district.
"It's huge to go ahead and taste it," Vaughn said. "Former district rival, they live real close, get to play them in all sports. It's one of those things you kind of get used to now, play Bridgeport on Friday, but know that this is the intensity level. If we want to win, we've got to find that finishing touch."
Jordan Hofeditz covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jhofeditz. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Wylie girls soccer dominates Midland Greenwood, boys lose to Brownwood
