Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Summit High School girls soccer team will probably do the same. Despite not making it to the 32-team Class 4A state football playoffs, the Tigers are still eager to record as many wins as possible in Mackenzie Meade's first year as head coach.
With five wins so far this season, Summit will look to make another dash in the win column on Thursday, May 2, when it takes on Eagle Valley High School in Breckenridge.
Summit, which was the team's penultimate game of the season, started the game on defense as Eagle Valley looked to score early.
After a 4-1 loss to the Eagle Valley Devils in March.Summit tried to take advantage of the home crowd and turn the field over, but Eagle Valley scored a goal past Summit sophomore goaltender Rowan Connelly less than three minutes into the game.
After the Devils scored, the Tigers played with more urgency and were able to quickly put together an attack. Senior Ella Snyder fed a pass across the field to an open teammate, but the shot was waived with a Summit penalty after she put the ball past Eagle Valley's goalie.
Although they didn't score, this chance further energized the Tigers and led to more scoring opportunities.
Eagle Valley defended the net and regained possession of the ball in the offensive zone. Over the course of several minutes, the Devils had several shots, but Connelly, junior Delilah Staberg and junior Olivia Lyman kept the ball out of the goal.
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With about 15 minutes left in the first half, Summit really frustrated Eagle Valley at the beginning of the game. Sophomore Jaime Im Nadler and sophomore Penelope Vitake cut deep into the offensive zone, sending the Devils defense into a frenzy as they tried to stop the ball.
After surviving a chance from Summit, Eagle Valley ran down the pitch and the team scored two goals in a matter of minutes. The first goal came from a high free kick, while the latter was scored from a breakdown in the Summit defense.
Summit entered the second half trailing 3-0.
Summit, who needed to quickly close the gap, played energetically for the first 10 minutes of the first half. Summitt broke through Eagle Valley's defense and created chances near the basket, but his shots continued to be stopped by the Devils.
Once Eagle Valley settled into the pace of play, the teams distributed the ball across the field. The Devils had several opportunities for a fourth goal, but the Tigers quickly recovered the ball and headed for their own goal.
Fifty-seven minutes into the game, Summit's persistence was rewarded with a goal from Vitake. That happened after she got up after chasing the ball and crashing into the Eagle Valley goalie.
Leading 3-1 with less than 20 minutes left, Summit continued to apply pressure in the offensive zone. Snyder and the rest of the Tigers made a series of off-shots, but couldn't score.
For the final 15 minutes of the game, the Devils dominated possession looking for the game-clinching goal. Summit was successful in defending the last scoring chance from Eagle Valley, but in the end the team lost 1-3.
“As of the first half, we all communicated about what we needed to do to get better. We came out really strong, trying to get the ball first and have better touch on the ball. ” Wietake said. “In the end, we were able to achieve our goals. Our communication has improved, and I feel like we have more time to handle the ball than just kicking.”
With this loss, Summit fell to 5 wins, 9 losses, and 2 wins, 7 losses in league play.
Summit will play its final regular season game against Palisades High School in Breckenridge on Saturday, May 4th.
“We're definitely going to address everything that kept us from winning today's game,” Wietake said. “I feel like we're lacking in shooting the ball because we always have too many touches. We want to work on being as effective in the second half as we are in shooting.”
The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. In the first meeting between the teams, Summit lost to Palisade, 5-0.
