CHEBOYGAN – The Cheboygan girls soccer team seems to be hitting its stride at the right time of the season.
The Chiefs defeated Oscoda 6-0 for the second consecutive day in a cancer awareness game at home on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Cheboygan defeated Roscommon by six goals.
“I thought we were in control the whole game, but it didn't show on the scoreboard until the second half,” Cheboygan senior midfielder Taylor Bent said. “It was,” he said. “It's great[to get young players]because a lot of them aren't quite used to the level and speed of the national team yet. I hope they understand and are ready to improve every day. That’s wonderful.”
Here are some takeaways from Wednesday, as the Chiefs (8-2-2) are coming off a dominating victory.
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Improved finish
This season, Chiefs created chances at certain times, but struggled to convert them, especially against some of the stronger opponents they faced. But there were signs Wednesday that Cheboygan's finishing improved as sophomore Jillian McKinley scored a team-high two goals in a second half in which the Chiefs had five points. Freshman Elise Markham gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
Bent, Jaylin Wheelock and Morgan Davis joined in the scoring in the second half, with Cheboygan scoring a goal to cap off a great performance.
“Tay (Bent), Elise (Markham), Jillian (McKinley), we're working on a combination that works in that midfield, but that midfield is much more consistent,” Cheboygan coach Tom Markham said. “We're making much better decisions on the ball, and the biggest difference is we're finishing. (Bent) had a great finish tonight. We're getting the ball in our hands more, we're not doing anything with the ball. We don't let them cross the goal line without getting caught. We had a really great finish tonight.”
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The bend makes a difference in the results.
Bent, a women's soccer signee from Grand Rapids Community College, returned to action on Tuesday and made an immediate impact, scoring a hat trick in Cheboygan's win at Roscommon.
Bent's influence on the game was much the same on Wednesday, controlling Cheboygan's midfield, making great passes to start attacks, and then moving up the pitch to score from his forward positions. Additionally, Bent's leadership will only benefit the Chiefs going forward.
for a good reason
During Wednesday's contest, Cheboygan players wore pink uniforms to honor those who have, have had or are currently battling cancer. All proceeds from the game will be donated to Cheboygan resident Brian Brando.
“(The players) took this very seriously,” Markham said. “We said at the beginning that not only do we thank God, we want to honor those who are still in this world, but more importantly, we want to honor those who are no longer with us. We wanted to represent them. We were really impressed by the attitude of our captains and we had to honor them. They were honored to be able to do this for a local family. did.”
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Cheboygan will be looking for a third straight win when they travel to Clare on Friday at 6 p.m.
“We have four tough opponents in front of us,” Markham said. “We just have to take it one game at a time and just keep playing, keep getting smart about ourselves and keep being competitive. I hope some of them (opponents) are planning on playing on the same team.”
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf.jgreenleaf@gannett.com.Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter@Sports CDT
