Meier lifts Dutch higher
Player scores two goals, assists on one in win vs. Burnt Hills
The Guilderland girls’ soccer team entered Saturday’s Suburban Council showdown against undefeated Burnt Hills looking to generate more offense after producing four goals in its first four contests. Jenna Meier helped assure there would be quality offensive productivity for the Lady Dutch.
Meier, a junior striker, set up the team’s first goal by Gabi Klindtworth and tallied two goals herself on a pair of impressive long-distance efforts to help propel Guilderland to a
3-0 victory over the Spartans.
“Last game, we tied (Columbia 0-0) and we didn’t have a lot of confidence (coming into) this game,” Meier said. “All of our passes were really coming together. Our coach (Curtis Snyder) kept telling us to shoot far out of the box.”
Asked to express how well he thinks his team is playing, Snyder said, “Not as good as we’re going to be. This is a good step. This is a good test against a really good Burnt Hills team. They had speed up top, their goalie (Hannah Ashcroft) is phenomenal, Lauren (Deweese)
Guilderland Center
in the middle is really good for them. They are going to win a bunch of games, so it is a good win for us.”
Guilderland (3-1-1 overall, 3-1-1 league) entered the game with wins against Niskayuna (2-0), Saratoga (1-0), the tie against Columbia and a season-opening 1-0 loss against Shenendehowa. Saturday, the Lady Dutch took control early and needed only six minutes to grab the lead against Burnt Hills (3-1, 3-1) when Meier set up Klindtworth for her first goal of the season.
“I think getting in that first goal was great and it really motivated us to get in a second and third,” Guilderland senior defender Lauren Conti said.
The Lady Dutch kept the Spartans from mounting much offense through the first 20 minutes and Meier proceeded to spark the offense even further when she blasted home a goal from nearly 40 yards out to make it 2-0 with 15:14 remaining in the opening half.
“I didn’t expect it (to go in). We just had to take chances,” Meier said.
The Spartans’ offense became more threatening after intermission as the trio of freshman striker Samantha Torres, sophomore midfielder Ella Blesi and Deweese, a senior captain, all tested Guilderland goalie Molly Dicaprio. The senior netminder was equal to the task, making eight saves overall to register her fourth shutout of the season.
Conti’s work dealing with Torres proved essential in keeping the Spartans from scoring Saturday.
“I tried to keep her in front of me and not let her turn. I wanted to beat her to the ball every single time,” Conti said. “I try to do that when they are faster.”
“She just reads the play,” Snyder said of Conti. “She has good skill, good aggressiveness and she does not mind physicality. Lauren is just calm. A lot of girls don’t have that, so we’re really lucky to have her.”
Meier’s third goal of the season and second of the contest came when she took a feed from sophomore Maya Kerr and rifled home a lefty shot inside the left post with 28:19 left.
“Those were very nice shots,” Conti said. “We lost to them in overtime last year, so it feels good to beat them this time.”
“She did a great job of finding opportunities and putting them into the back of the net,” Snyder said of Meier. “She also had an assist, so she really completed our offense.”
In addition to Meier, Klindtworth and Kerr, Guilderland’s offensive effort also received strong contributions from Riley Grimm (assisted on Meier’s first goal), Jane Leader and Zoey Kmack.
“I think we’re going to keep doing well and getting better each game,” Meier said.
Snyder believed Saturday’s performance was easily his team’s best and most complete this season.
“We played the last couple of teams where we played well for 20 minutes or 15 minutes here and there,” Snyder said. “We concentrated in practice in the last week that we really needed to put in the effort the whole time. Not only did we get to do that, but we had everybody come in and give us good minutes.”
There are no sectionals or state playoffs to be contested this fall, but the Suburban Council will conduct a league championship tournament next month featuring the top eight teams.
“I am excited about that,” Conti said. “It is sad not to have sectionals, but I do think we have a good team and we’re going to get some more wins.”