Riders hitting their stride
Things are coming together for St. Marys.
Following a 6-0 loss to non-league Medina and facing a 1-3-0 record in the face, the Roughriders turned that daunting nonleague schedule into an advantage.
A pair of secondhalf goals from Tabby Knous and Lily Ankerman and another shut out performance in Western Buckeye League play put the Roughriders above .500 after a 2-0 victory against Shawnee on Thursday at Roughrider Field.
Just 1:40 into the second half, Knous received a pass off Aerial Fast as Knous was oneon-one with the defender, got by her and shot the ball at the left side of the net for the goal.
Last season Knous racked up team-high 10 assists with her three goals, but the senior has blossomed with six goals already this season.
“I couldn’t be happier for her and happier as a coach because she always on the outside looking in a little bit and I don’t know what it is — another year of maturity or a deeper fire or hunger but it’s awesome,” Roughriders coach Nick Wilson said. “She generates so much offense either on the shot or making something happen on the backside. We are pleased with her progression.”
“One of the unsung heroes is Madi Anthony on the backside. She was working her tell off and she got some shots off — they were high — but they were nice solid shots. That was her best game by far. “These outside mids, they have
they have to work their butts off and it’s a position that I sub more just because of that and I am blessed with some replaceable talent.”
Meanwhile, the defense stymied the Indians.
In last season’s matchup, the Roughriders (4-3-1, 3-0-1 WBL) held a 1-0 lead more than midway through the second half, but the Indians shot the ball over the hands of Kiley Tennant to end in a 1-1 tie.
That did not happen on Thursday.
Wilson said the coaches made some adjustments, crediting coach Jeff James the fatback four — a new concept for the team defensively.
The result yielded little threat in the defensive backfield and a third shutout victory against a WBL team. Shawnee also recorded just three shots on goal — all saved by Tennant.
“We knew earlier in the season against that crazy talent, it was a perfect storm of some sort to start testing it,” Wilson said. “And dedicating some time and coaching to that back four has created a second shutout in a row — third for the season.
“Defensively, it is coming together.”
Wilson said the defense is coming around at the right time as the Roughriders head into its annual tough WBL stretch against Kenton, Elida, Bath and Celina in the next two weeks.
With Thursday’s win and a 3-0 victory for Bath over Celina, St. Marys is positioned in second place in the league standings with 10 points, second to Bath’s 12 points.
“Holding a team to zero or one goal sure makes it a little easier,” Wilson added. “Our offense has the potential to strike but it is not a high-scoring offense.”
With 1:53 remaining in the game, Ankerman put the game away on an assist by freshman Ella Jacobs.
But an intricate piece to St. Marys’ offense on Thursday was also Elena Menker in the middle.
The junior got the game ball Thursday night for her ability to facilitate the ball to the forwards and keep pushing the ball on the attack.
“She is solid in the middle,” Wilson said. “She has a game where she’s not just quite as sharp but very rarely would you say she ever had a bad game.
“She understands game tactics better than anyone on the field and she sees things on film that not one of the other players would bring up. And now as she is getting older, she is getting more vocal to bring those things to us and that is a great sign. She had some votes to be a captain this year and you can see why.
She is growing into a very solid leader and player.”
The Roughriders are now in the second half of a stretch that has them playing five games in eight days — including four games in a five-day span.
“We went from having five games under our belt to all of a sudden having played 10 games,” Wilson added. “There is always one week in the schedule that is an absolute beast and this is the beast.
The St. Marys junior varsity team also picked up a shutout win 6-0.
The Roughriders will travel on Saturday to Riverdale High School in Mount Blanchard to take on the Falcons.
The Roughriders will return to WBL play on Monday at Kenton.