WILLMAR - The Willmar girls soccer team won a section match and got back on track after a tough week against Worthington on Saturday.
The Cardinals scored a goal in each half and limited the Trojans to just three shots in a 2-0 non-conference win at the Kennedy School field.
Willmar improved to 2-2 overall. The Cardinals take on Central Lakes Conference opponent Fergus Falls at 6 p.m. today at Kennedy.
The Cardinals are 0-1 in the CLC but evened their Section 2A record at 1-1 with the win Saturday.
“It was a hug defensive effort,” said Willmar head coach Chelsea Brown. “Everybody was on point in the game. Everybody was clicking.”
The Cardinals dominated play in the first half, continually pressing the Trojans’ defense and goalie Keryri Gutierrez.
Willmar midfielder Samantha Schlecht broke through with a goal at the seven-minute mark. Cards midfielder Hannah Johnson assisted on Schlecht’s goal.
The Willmar defense was stout, rarely allowing Worthington to work the ball past midfield. Then the Trojans did get free, all they could muster were long, soft shots handled easily by Cards goalie Laura Christenson.
The Cards, who had 22 shots on goal, couldn’t break through again until the 74th minute when attacker Jenna Stauffenecker converted a goal on an assist from midfielder Morgan Glup.
Again, the Cardinals’ defense had no trouble making the two-goal edge stand up.
The victory came after a tough two-game stretch last week during which they lost games to Mankato Loyola and St. Cloud Apollo by a combined score of 9-1.
Fergus Falls will present a strange challenge. The Otters won their season-opener 7-0 but then have lost twice by a combined score of 12-0.
“They’re a tough team,” Brown said, “but we’re young and strong.”
Willmar 2,
Worthington 0
Worthington (0-4)......................0 0 - 0
Willmar (2-2)..............................1 1 - 2
FIRST HALF – W: Samantha Schlecht (Hannah Johnson) 7th minute
SECOND PERIOD – W: Jenna Stauffenecker (Morgan Glup) 74th minute
SHOTS – Worthington 3 … Willmar 21
GOALIE SAVES – Worthington: Keryri Guttierrez 19 … Willmar: Laura Christenson 3
