Mapleton girls soccer comes up just short against Firelands in season opener
NANKIN — For the final 39 minutes of the second half, the Mapleton girls soccer team held Firelands scoreless Friday night at John E. Camp Stadium.
But at the 39:06 mark of the second half, Firelands senior captain Bella Simmons scored what proved to be the game winner on a breakaway, leading the Falcons to a 4-3 nonconference victory in the season opener for both teams.
Mapleton and Firelands each played aggressively from the get-go, with scoring aplenty in the opening 40 minutes.
“I think from last year we picked it up a notch and had a way better turnout than we had last year against Firelands,” said Mapleton coach Carly Stevens. “I think the girls put in the offseason work, so that showed today. There’s always room to improve, but I think the girls are finally taking Mapleton to the next edge, and that’s what I’ve been pushing for with this program for the last three years.”
Firelands coach Keith Ziegler offered the same sentiments as Stevens.
“We talk about playing fast, playing hard, running through the ball, just the things good soccer teams do,” Ziegler said. “If you wait for the play to come to you, you’ve lost already, so just working hard [and] playing aggressively. We just try to play hard.”
Simmons was the difference-maker in the well-played match, scoring all of the goals for the Falcons, three coming in the first half.
“She’s a good ballplayer,” Ziegler said of the forward/midfielder. “She’s relentless. She works hard and has an engine that doesn’t quit. She’s the team leader. She talks the most. She’s our engine. We have a couple of other players, but she’s the engine.”
Junior striker/midfielder Brinlee Youngen kept Mapleton in step with Firelands with two goals in the first half (37:44, 26:29), while senior defender Sierra Lykins tied the score at 3-3 when she found the back of the net with 8:15 left in the opening half.
Several other players also play well for the Mounties, including senior midfielder Anna Sas, who utilized her speed to challenge many of Firelands’ offensive threats.
Mapleton junior goalkeeper Gracen Beattie was a whirlwind in front of the net by continually staving off several Falcons scoring attempts. She finished with 15 saves.
“Brinlee is obviously very foot skilled, and Anna’s our speed and is one of our fastest girls and so is Brinlee, too,” Stevens said. “They’re both very strong players, and they have that knowledge of the game.
“She had a ton of saves, so thank God for Gracen. She’s awesome. I’ve seen her blossom tremendously for the past three years. She learns well, and she learns quickly, and she applies everything we work on in practice to these games. We are very thankful for her.”
Stevens wants to see her players continue to hone their skills and improve each time they take the field.
“It’s a good start,” she said. “It may not be where we wanted to be, but I think it gives us the guidance of what we want to work on in practice.”
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Mapleton girls soccer falls to Firelands in season opener
