They say when it rains, it pours. Clarkston’s girls? soccer coach Sarah Smith is ready for that downpour after Clarkston suffered its second shutout loss in three games to fall to 0-3 on the season after losing to Royal Oak April 2 at Clarkston.
The Wolves were out-shot by the Ravens and managed only two shots themselves in the 2-0 loss.
Royal Oak (1-0-2) struck first near the end of the first half at 1:47, when Caitlin West took a pass from Amber Nolan and beat Wolves? netminder Beth Parks in the upper left corner for a 1-0 lead. The Ravens added another late in the second half with 9:36 left in the game, this time Nolan kept the score for herself.
‘She’s just physically fit, being able to hold off some of those players,? Ravens coach Cam Millar said.
‘She’s holding off players larger than her and she’s still able to make the play. She came into the season the best I’ve seen her in a long time (physically). She’s a very skilled player and a very aggressive attacker.
‘Every year she gets better. Better touches, better speed and this is the best (physical shape) I’ve seen her, being able to hold off players all over her back and still get the ball across.
Millar was upbeat after the win, but acknowledged the team’s shortcomings.
‘We played very well. We have some getting to know each other to do, but they held the ball very well. We got a lot of opportunities, but we have to work on finishing,? she said.
Clarkston coach Sarah Smith said the Wolves cannot continue to play the game with the same lack of offense as they did against the Ravens. With the blanking against the Ravens, the offense was responsible for only one goal in three games.
‘Offensively, we need to work on taking care of the ball and taking some shots. Tonight, we didn’t take very many shots. We can’t score unless we shoot,? Smith said.
?(The) offense needs to get the job done and they’re not doing that right now, they’re not scoring goals and they’re not shooting the ball.?
Smith said the problem could be a team looking for too much detail on the attack.
‘My girls look for the perfect shot. All my offensive players have good shots and they just need to take them and not worry so much about finding the perfect shot. We’re working on their confidence and shooting the ball,? she said.
Julie Warner and Caitlin Smith played strong games due to their precision and patience.
‘Defensively we were tough, we’ve made some improvements. (Catilin) Smith and (Julie) Warner really stepped up for us on defense and kept us in the game,? Sarah Smith said.
The Wolves? homestand was cut short against Rochester Adams Wednesday due to incliment weather. Smith said the Wolves were working to be a more cohesive unit against the Highlanders.
‘Right now, we’re working on working together as a team and not having it be separate offense and defense and trusting our teammates, knowing how to play together,? Smith said.
‘We’re going to have to pick up the intensity and aggressiveness and take care of the ball.?