WAYNESBORO, Pa. – The Waynesboro Maidens varsity soccer team ran into a brick wall on Wednesday against Boiling Springs in their Mid-Penn Colonial Division match.
The Bubblers scored early and often on their way to a 7-0 victory at Buchanan Automotive Stadium. The Maidens didn’t record a shot on goal until the final two minutes, but Hannah Koons couldn’t get it past goalkeeper Megan Wagner.
At the other end, Waynesboro keeper Abby Byers was on her toes the entire contest and finished with 13 saves. She made 14 stops in last week’s 1-0 loss at home to Cedar Cliff.
“They’re a possession-oriented team, and you cannot let a team be comfortable,” said Waynesboro coach Brian Fisher. “You have to pressure them. You have to take away options. You have to make it difficult for them.
“We gave them too much time and space. We just weren’t organized today. I think our 50-50 balls were tough today. We just didn’t win those. We were just like a step behind or two steps behind.”
Byers was tested in the first minute. She passed that test, but the continual pressure exerted by Boiling Springs (3-0-2) with effective dribbling and passing, especially in close quarters, led to the first tally. Maci Bruce used some nice footwork to get the ball to Keira Steel, who scored at the 35:35 mark of the first half.
The task for the Maidens was to find the ability to get the ball to the midfield and beyond. They could not do it up the middle or on the outside. When Waynesboro managed to get awarded with throw-ins, they were intercepted.
The defense held its ground for the next 12 minutes, but after the Bubblers kept up the pressure with four successive corner kicks, they found the back of the net when Bruce fed Marissa Lenker for the score at 23:50.
Bruce picked up her third assist on Steel’s second goal of the game to make it 3-0 with 21:22 left to play in the first half.
The Bubblers added four goals in the second half, including two more off the foot of Steel.
“They switched the field well, and they had too much time and space,” Fisher said. “We just kind of sat back too much and defended, and we didn’t win the midfield. And when you don’t win the midfield, that’s a bad day. I didn’t have them prepared enough. We just have
to be better at the fundamentals – dribbling and passing, first touch. We were just kicking it and kicking it.”
The Maidens will play on Saturday at Spring Grove in a non-conference matchup.
Photos by Toya McCleary:
