Wizards slow down Mount
West Warwick hands Mounties first D-II defeat
WEST WARWICK — It is still early in the season, but Tuesday’s 4-2 win for the West Warwick girls soccer team over visiting Mount St. Charles may have been their biggest one to date.
The Wizards took a 3-0 lead into halftime and staved off a second-half rally by the Mounties, handing them their first defeat of the season, as both teams currently sit at 2-11 in the D-II standings.
“We worked hard today. They’re a very good team,” West Warwick coach Daniel Lima said of their opponents.
Danielle Maynard led the way for the home team with a pair of goals, while subs Hannah Fox and Molly Herold provided the other two for the Wizards, as goalkeeper Hailey Anderson helped keep the
Mounties on the wrong end of the scoreboard all day, accumulating 10 saves in the win.
Mount received both of its goals from junior Eileen Whalen, with one of them coming via a penalty kick in the 59th minute, but it would not be enough in the end.
Coach Marek Wolny was encouraged by his team’s second half performance, but felt that the Wizards were the stronger and more physical team overall.
“A little bit of a comeback. We couldn’t win the 5050 balls. They played very well,” Wolny said.”They played a little physical, which kind of ate us up a little bit. It was all fair play. I gotta hand it to them. They did a great job.”
Maynard put the Wizards up early with a penalty kick before Herold, a freshman, doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. With time winding down in the half, classmate Hannah Fox found the back of the net, extending the lead to 3-0, which Lima pointed to as a critical turning point.
“That was big to get that goal because we were feeling the pressure,” he said of play in the second half that saw Mount make a run.
The Wizards had a 3-1 lead at the half in their previous contest last week against Ponaganset before the Chieftains rallied for a 3-3 draw. Lima was happy to see his offense not let up as much this time around, something they have been practicing regularly. “We’re working on passing and finishing,” he said. On the other side, Wolny made a switch in net, bringing in Abby Dalpe to replace starter Morgan Hancock. The two would combine to make nine saves.
The Wizards held a three-goal lead until the 51st minute when Whalen finally got the visitors on the board with a kick that deflected off the gloves of Anderson in net. The Wizards were quick to respond however, as just three minutes later, Maynard sank a shot from deep in the corner to make it 4-1.
The Mounties did not go quietly though, as Whalen received a free kick following a hand ball violation on the Wizards and connected easily on it to make it 4-2, but from there, the score remained unchanged.
“Basically, we struggled in the middle of the field again. On occasions when we won balls, we lost them again, quickly,” Wolny said of his team’s offensive struggles on the day. “We couldn’t connect two, three passes.”
However, it was the team’s defensive performance that he felt cost them the most.
“We did not pressure them whatsoever. That was probably one of the biggest keys that we had a problem with today. We didn’t pressure them enough. They got the ball and we allowed them to do anything they wanted to do, which is why the score was 4-2. That’s really the bottom line,” Wolny said.
His team was not at full strength, but he was still hoping for a better showing.
“I have injuries, plus I have girls that are actually sick. I knew it was going to be a tough day today. I didn’t think it would be a 4-2 day, but I knew it was going to be a tough day today,” he said.
The Mounties will look to get back in the win column Thursday with a road game at Wheeler, while the Wizards are off for the remainder of the week. They will return to action next Monday at home against North Providence.