While the scores and outcomes might not show it, Cheney High School girls soccer head coach Nels Radtke feels good about his team overall, and is particularly impressed with the Lady Blackhawks intensity and physicality.
Cheney initiated the contact and defined the pace of play in home games last week against East Valley and University. The Lady Hawks came up on the short end of the scores, however, falling 5-1 to the Knights in the Great Northern League opener for both schools and 6-1 Saturday to University of the 4A Greater Spokane League.
“We set the tone, and that was great to see,” Radtke said.
Against East Valley, Cheney fell victim to what Radtke termed several “weird goals,” scoring opportunities created by bouncing balls in front of the goal the Lady Blackhawks couldn’t clear. Skylar Bastin sent one of those into the net off a corner kick in the eighth minute, followed that with another goal 16 minutes later and assisted on a third in the 30th minute for a 3-0 Knights halftime lead.
The Knights scored twice more in the second half before freshman Elizabeth Potter put Cheney on the board in the 67th minute off an Abby Hammermeister assist. East Valley out shot Cheney 13-4, with Paige Lewis making seven saves and Olivia Swenson one.
Lewis made 12 saves Saturday against University as the Lady Blackhawks trimmed the visiting Titans margin to 3-1 on a Haley Dixon goal, assisted by Kendyl Cone, in the 54th minute, but could get no closer. University sealed with win with three goals in the final 24 minutes, out shooting Cheney 18-5.
The Lady Blackhawks also dropped a game Monday against another 4A GSL school, Lewis and Clark, falling behind 5-0 in the first half en route to the 6-0 road loss. No stats were available at press time.
Cheney falls to 0-4 on the season, 0-1 in GNL play. Three of those losses came against GSL 4A schools; a level of play Radtke said his team isn’t really at right now.
The games are helpful, though, revealing to Radtke and his players things they need to work on, and things they did well that can be transferred into games against GNL opponents.
“In all three games, we did do some good things,” Radtke said.
Cheney returned to GNL play Tuesday, Sept. 16, with a road game at Clarkston. The Bantams have opened 2014 at 2-0 with wins over Moscow and Northeast A League Newport.
Cheney also plays one more non-league game with the GSL this Thursday (Sept. 18), traveling to Spokane Falls Community College to face 3A Shadle Park.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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