Whitbeck gets winner
Senior scores on breakaway to snap tie, giving Greenville coach Kiefer 400th win
Morgan Whitbeck, by her own estimation, is not exactly adept when a breakaway opportunity comes her way. Wednesday afternoon, such a scenario materialized for the Greenville senior girls’ soccer player and she sure delivered.
In a race to get to the ball first against Maple Hill goalie Hannah Brewer, Whitbeck resisted the urge to take an immediate shot when reaching the ball. Instead, she gathered herself as a defender drew close, pushed the ball forward and slipped in a shot with 8:34 remaining.
The Spartans made sure Whitbeck’s 10th goal of the season held up as the visitors produced a 3-2 victory over Maple Hill in Patroon Conference play.
Greenville (11-1 overall, 11-1 league) previously defeated Maple Hill (8-3-1, 8-3-1) 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 20 when Molly Quinn scored in the second 10-minute extra session. Wednesday, Quinn was wearing a walking boot after suffering an injury Friday against CairoDurham, a loss that subtracted a team-best 25 goals from the lineup.
The Spartans’ next three leading scorers are Kaitlyn Silk, Bella Trostle and Whitbeck. All three scored against the Wildcats.
Whitbeck was thrilled to con
vert her breakaway chance.
“Usually, I just whiff it. This time, I just wanted to push it by the goalie. I tried it,” Whitbeck said.
“I was impressed by that move,” Greenville coach Eileen Kiefer said of Whitbeck. “That was really gorgeous. Really good from her.”
Wednesday’s victory was good for the Spartans as they remain atop the league standings and it provided Kiefer her 400th career victory.
“That was pretty nice. It felt good to win,” Whitbeck said. “(Winning it for coach Kiefer) was the main part.”
After the Spartans shook hands with the Wildcats, Kiefer addressed her players. One of the first things the veteran mentor said was, ‘Hey, hey, it’s not about me.”
All Kiefer wanted to acknowledge Wednesday was the performance from her squad.
“I am very proud of how our girls played,” Kiefer said. “They work hard and they have worked hard all season.”
Like its first contest against Maple Hill, Greenville trailed early as Wildcats sophomore standout Alayna Fletcher netted a shot when she broke inside the Spartans’ defense in the 18th minute.
Silk tied the game with 29:21 left when she ripped in a blast on a direct kick and Trostle put Greenville ahead 2-1 when she converted a feed from Silk.
The Wildcats did not record a shot in the second half until Fletcher tallied her 15th goal this season with 17:50 remaining to knot the score at 2.
“She is such a dynamic leader and is so smart out there,” Maple Hill coach Sheila Golden said of Fletcher. “She is the whole package.”
After getting the tying goal, Maple Hill struggled to generate any offense and had a difficult time containing the Spartans. Those issues eventually led to Whitbeck’s breakaway goal.
“We have definitely advanced as the season has gone on,” Whitbeck said. “I think our passing and our team have come together more. We weren’t all friends, but we have really bonded and become a close team.”
“Mentally, we fell apart at the end,” Golden said. “We’re young. We’ve got one eighth-grader in the back and a few ninth-graders. When we lose our composure, we get tentative and stop hustling and (start) second-guessing ourselves.”