Atalie Hatfield (right) pushes the ball up the field during Ripon's 1-0 loss to Omro last Friday.
“It's just bad luck.”
Head coach Steve Nankervis had this to say about the Ripon High School Tiger girls soccer team's 1-0 non-conference home loss to the Omro Foxes last Friday.
During the 80-minute match, the Tigers failed to clear several times in the 70th minute and conceded their only goal, a close-range shot from Omro from a scrum inside the box. Otherwise, the competition was pretty even as Omro had a 5-4 advantage in shots on target and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks, while possession was almost 50-50.
“We've conceded a few goals like that this season,” Nankervis said. “As a coach, it's frustrating. I think it's frustrating for the players and for Reese as well. [Downs] as a goalkeeper. The elements weren't the best either. It was smooth. The ball was flying. I understand that part, but we have conceded quite a lot of goals so far this season, so we have to do better defensively to prevent such trash goals from happening against us. ”
Coach Nankervis said he was disappointed in the loss because the game was even, but noted that Ripon put in a much better effort than it did earlier in the week in a 2-0 loss to Waupun. He was also satisfied with the fact that he was able to create four shots on goal after failing to record a single shot in the past three games.
The Tigers also played with starting forward Ellie Rost out with an injury, placing everyone in different formations in hopes of creating scoring opportunities.
One player who changed positions was Atalie Hatfield. Coach Nankervis noted that the sophomore moved from the defense to midfield and added a spark with his scoring ability and athleticism.
“We had chances to score,” the Ripon coach said. “And I really liked the reaction of the other girls. We learned new formations and different positioning people on the fly, so it was nice to see that.”
He added that although it sounds like a broken record, the inexperienced Tigers are getting better.
“It’s just happening a little slower than we would like,” Nankervis said. “But the girls understand that. They're getting better. They've adjusted well, so hats off to the young ladies for being flexible like that and finding new positioning throughout the game.” That's a good point. That's all I can ask because we're learning. We're not going to give up on these tremendous losses. It’s just a goal or two goal game.”
Although it was disappointing to concede a goal in the final stages of the match against Omro after a close game, Coach Nankervis said he was hopeful that the girls remained undaunted and fought back for 10 minutes to get back the equalizer.
“I think we had one or two chances in the last 10 minutes to get some chances, but again we were unlucky,” he said.
Tigers lose to Waupun
Ripon also suffered a bit of bad luck last Tuesday, losing 2-0 at home to the Waupun Warriors.
Similar to the game against Omro, the Tigers' first goal conceded to Waupun came after they failed to clear the ball cleanly from the line. They were able to force the ball to the top of the box, but the ball changed direction and flew to Downs' right before taking an unfortunate bounce and being tipped on his toe from about two yards out.
The goal, which came around the 14th minute, was one of two goals the Warriors scored in the first half. Just before the 30th minute, the ball went into the air, but Downs made a bad decision and sent it into the back of the goal.
“The wind was blowing pretty good on Tuesday,” Nankervis said, adding, “The wind was really a factor in terms of holding the ball in the air, depending on whether you were kicking toward the ball or kicking it with the ball.” ” he said.
Ripon's head coach said there was no serious threat in the game other than those two goals. Waupun finished with 10 shots on target and Downs made eight saves. The Tigers didn't have a single shot on target.
“They were definitely better in possession, about 60/40,” Nankervis said. “There were some moments where we outplayed them, but overall they definitely led us in that category. We played a lot better in the second half than we did in the first half. surely. In the second half, the women's team improved a bit and gave us a few chances in our own half, but unfortunately we couldn't get them on target. It stinks. Another two-goal loss against a team I thought would rival Oshkosh North and Omro. ”
He said the result was disappointing, but the Tigers are just trying to find the right combination, with players nursing injuries and playing out of position in hopes of inspiring them. He added that it was difficult to do.
next
Ripon gave it its all Tuesday against the Division 3 state champion and No. 1 ranked Plymouth Panthers, but the game ended after press time. Nankervis' only hope was to keep fighting for 80 minutes.
The Tigers will face a more comparable opponent on Thursday when they welcome the Hortonville Polar Bears to Ingalls Field for a 4:30 p.m. Hortonville School has 1,232 students and Ripon School has 484 students, but their season record was only 1-8-1, and only 1-17 in the year. I'm about to finish.
This game, which will be the first match between the two schools, will also be held as Pink Out Night.Ripon wears a special pink jersey Collect funds for cancer awareness.
“This is also a young and inexperienced team, so I think they will match up well,” Nankervis said. “Hopefully we can all get back healthy, but that's not a guarantee. We're just looking for another competitive game. … We'll see how they react Tuesday night and We'll see what kind of energy and attitude they can bring to the Hortonville team on Thursday, and we'll definitely be able to play with them, and we hope to be on the lucky side on Thursday. ”
Ripon is also scheduled to host the Kewaskum Indians in a conference game on Tuesday, May 7th at 4:45 p.m.
