NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester High School's varsity girls soccer team couldn't help itself from scoring over and over and over again Wednesday at Good Fields.
Hosting the Maconaquah Lady Braves, the Lady Squires (6-4-1) scored all six of its goals between the 20:37 mark of the first half and the 35:23 mark of the second, when coach Carrie Clothier began substituting heavily.Even with reserves playing the majority of the second half, Manchester still pulled off the 6-0 win, with six different girls getting in the scoring column.
"They were doing a great job with pass combinations, just trying to get everyone different looks at the net," Clothier said. "We've really been emphasizing that it's important to do what's important for the team, not just be taking shots for yourself."
The scoring began with junior Amy Collett, then continued with freshman Hayleigh Collett (21st minute), senior Taylor Byers (26th min.), sophomore Laurel Ruppert (31st min.), senior Hannah Sharfman (42nd min.) and senior Addy Naragon (45th min.).
Manchester's first two goals came directly off misses that bounced off Maconaquah freshman goalkeeper Erin Orttel, demonstrating Manchester's constant attack.
"Crashing has been what we've been working on the past couple of weeks," Clothier said. "So, you saw a lot of that tonight. Just a lot better crosses, and actually to our players and not just to the goalie. We just took advantage of every opportunity they gave us to shoot on net."
On the day, Manchester took 33 shots, 22 of which were on goal, while Maconaquah managed just two shots, one being on goal.
Clothier gave credit to freshman Mariah Mobley for the defensive effort and Byers for a strong offensive performance.
"She really controlled the middle," Clothier said about Byers, who also had an assist. "She had great shots on goal, she was crashing and she got a goal for herself."
The competition for the Squires picks up as they travel to Warsaw today.
"We came into this game knowing we had Warsaw," Clothier said. "We knew we had to play a fast-paced game today and be on top of our games so it would transfer on the road. We're really excited to play (today). It's going to be a good challenge for us."
And it's a challenge Clothier welcomes.
"We like to play them, because they are a tougher team," she said about Warsaw. "We like to see how far we've come. We compare them to Columbia City. We play Columbia City our first game and we always play it tough, but never come out on top. Then, we like to play another harder opponent in Warsaw, who's much bigger than us, in the middle of the year just to see where we are. Win or lose, as long as we come out and play, it's going to be a true test for us."
MANCHESTER 6, MACONAQUAH 0
Man - Amy Collett (Lauren Wagoner) 11th min.
Man - Hayleigh Collett 21st min.
Man - Taylor Byers (Lille Terrill) 26th min.
Man - Laurel Ruppert (Byers) 31st min.
Man - Hannah Sharfman (Julia Hofmann) 42nd min.
Man - Hofman 45th min.
Shots - Manchester 33, Maconaquah 2; Shots on Goal - Manchester 22, Maconaquah 1; Saves - Manchester (Kelley Bowers 0, Emily Neild 1) 1, Maconaquah (Erin Orttel) 15; Penalties - Manchester 2, Maconaquah 0; Corner Kicks - Manchester 6, Maconaquah 0; Offsides - Manchester 1, Maconaquah 0; Record: Manchester 6-4-1
