Satisfied enough with an unblemished road win Tuesday afternoon, Bayfield girls soccer head coach Scott Key was particularly pumped to see that player-to-player progression produced several of the Lady Wolverines’ scores.
“There were lots of assists, a lot of passing,” Key said after a 9-0 victory at Ignacio. “We’re experimenting with some new formations and we got to kind of see what they look like … and how it’s not supposed to be played. But also how it is; there was a lot of good learning. It’s always good when the varsity does their job; reserves get to come in and get good, valuable minutes.”
The Wolverines improved to 2-0 overall with the win and stayed at 1-0 in the 3A Southwestern League. Ignacio fell to 0-2 overall after the loss.
Bayfield wasted little time taking control. Rey and senior Genesis Barrera each scored during the opening six minutes at sunny, yet chilly IHS Field, putting the guests up 2-0, and Rey then assisted on Barrera’s 14th-minute goal.
Senior Preslie Wagner scored her first goal of the afternoon in the 27th minute and struck again in the 29th off an assist from Barrera. Rey then put a shot through Ignacio sophomore goalkeeper Bella Lorenzini’s hands and just over the goal line in the 35th, then increased the Lady Wolverines’ lead to 7-0 in the 37th via a Barrera assist set up by a pass from Wagner.
“Especially with all the newer players, trying to teach communication is a really big part of soccer; once you’re able to, you can really work as a team,” Rey said. “But I think everybody’s blending amazingly. Everybody’s being nice to each other … to have girls on the team who are newer, learning how everybody is all the time is a really big part.”
IHS senior Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga nearly stained Bayfield senior goalie McKenna Noonan’s clean sheet just before time expired in the first half, but her run through five Lady Wolverines, leaving her one-on-one with Noonan, ended with a shot missed wide of Noonan’s near post.
“Darlyn, Mari, Bailey up front … they worked hard,” said Ignacio head coach Tori Burch, referring to attackers Mendoza-Lechuga, sophomore Marlene Martinez-Perez and freshman Bailey Briggs. “Each game, they’re getting a little bit better and better and I know that once we have our whole team back we are going to be stronger.”
Due to injuries, the Bobcats only had one sub in the first half. Then a player went out in the second half with a potential concussion and they didn’t have any subs in the second half, according to Burch.
After intermission, freshman Kimball Anderson logged BHS’ eighth goal with a shot Lorenzini actually got a hand on but couldn’t slow enough to stop in the 47th minute. Wagner joined Rey in completing a hat trick by scoring in the 61st.
Barrera then nearly did the same in the 64th minute, but her potential match-ending attempt clanged off Lorenzini’s near post and thus kept both sides striving until the final whistle.
The Lady ’Cats will next get into their 2A Intermountain-South work Saturday at home versus defending league champion Crested Butte, (5-1, 1-0). Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
“You know, they’re a tough team but our team is also,” Burch said. “We have some great leaders on our team, and communication trying to keep our system from breaking down – we talked a lot about that yesterday, and evidently our system did not break today. They held their own, fought until the last second, and in players – and teams – that’s what you look for. That tenacity, that perseverance …. They were not going to give (Bayfield) that (mercy-rule) goal unless it was by luck.”
Bayfield, meanwhile, will be off until hosting nonleague 3A Salida on April 4.
