Wildcat soccer team 7-4-1
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<p class="p1">The Wildcat soccer team opened last week at home on Monday, Sept. 14, against the Mount Vernon Rams. </p><p class="p1">Coming off a loss to Marion the previous week, the Wildcats were searching for answers to their lackluster offense. </p><p class="p1">A new formation provided little boost during the first half as the Cats were only able to score a single goal off the foot of Zach Parr and take a 1-0 halftime lead.</p><p class="p1">Returning to their more familiar 4-4-2 formation in the second half, the Cats managed three second half goals against an aggressive Rams defense. </p><p class="p1">Parr scored twice while Jaryt Tripp added one goal. Jake Parr played 80 minutes in goal and had six saves in the 4-0 win. </p><p class="p1">“The second half was better but still wasn’t the kind of ball movement that we need. We just could not get into a rhythm in attacking the goal,” Wildcats coach Mark Boomer said. The lack of rhythm would continue into Tuesday.</p><p class="p1">On Tuesday, Sept. 15 the Cats traveled south to Massac County to take on the Patriots. </p><p class="p1">The Wildcats scored midway through the first half when Dakota Earnhart delivered a ball to Alejandro Peneda, who punched the ball past the Patriot keeper for a 1-0 lead. </p><p class="p1">But that would be the only goal the Cats would score on the day, as several attacks either broke down in the passing game or the shots that were taken sailed over or wide of the goal. </p><p class="p1">A Wildcat victory slipped away with less than 5 minutes remaining. A late Patriot attack proved successful as one got past Wildcat keeper Jake Parr that sent the Cats home with a 1-1 tie.</p><p class="p1">“We came home very disappointed with the outcome of the Massac County game,” Boomer said. </p><p class="p1">“Some of the seniors just sat on the bus with their heads in their hands wondering what was wrong. They actually questioned themselves and the ability of this team to reach the level of success that they had experienced over the past couple of years.”</p><p class="p1">With the Marion Wildcats coming to Anna on Thursday, Sept. 17, the Cats had little time to find answers to their questions. </p><p class="p1">But after a Wednesday meeting and some leadership from the seniors, the Wildcats returned to the A-J field on Thursday and looked like a different team with a different attitude. </p><p class="p1">In sharp contrast to the week before, the Cats kept possession for much of the game and defensively shut down the very quick attackers of Marion. </p><p class="p1">“I give a lot of credit to our defensive line and specifically Diego Godinez. He did a great job cutting off those lanes, something we did not do at their place.”</p><p class="p1">The game went to halftime without either team scoring but the sense was there that the Wildcats were just one break away from punching through.</p><p class="p1">That break came early in the second half when Ryan Stark found Zach Parr on the left side and lobbed a ball behind the defense. Parr beat the defense back and had the ball just inside the 18-yard box when he delivered a shot hard to the back right corner of the net that went past the diving Marion keeper. The Cats had a 1-0 lead.</p><p class="p1">A few minutes later Parr would return the favor to Stark. With the ball out to the far left and near the baseline Parr held possession from a Marion defender waiting for someone to provide support. </p><p class="p1">That is when he heard Stark calling for the ball and Parr turned and delivered a pass through two Marion defenders to the foot of Stark who was standing just inside the 6-yard box. </p><p class="p1">Stark quickly trapped the ball and drew the Marion keeper back towards the inside post allowing Stark to send the shot to the outside post and into the side of the net for a 2-0 lead.</p><p class="p1">Stark would add another goal on a penalty shot with just under 15 minutes to play that sealed the game for the Wildcats. A late Marion goal made the final 3-1.</p><p class="p1">“That was a big win for us. Marion is a strong program and a larger school. We have done well against them the past two years but with the way we had been playing this year it didn’t look too promising,” Boomer said. </p><p class="p1">Boomer credits the senior leadership and the Wednesday night discussion and practice as the cause for the turn around. </p><p class="p1">“Many of these seniors have not been in this leadership role. There are some talented guys on this team and they have often played with older kids on their club teams. They are not used to leading a team by giving instruction and making certain demands upon the younger players,” Boomer said. </p><p class="p1">“It just hasn’t been their role. But after the tie at Massac I think they realized that this is it for them and if they want to keep up the winning the soccer program has experienced the past few years they had better get something going.”</p><p class="p1">The Cats closed out the week at Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon on Saturday. The Cats made the early travel north and came home with a 7-1 win. </p><p class="p1">Stark and Parr led the Cats with 2 goals each. Parr added three assists and Stark two. Jaryt Tripp added a goal and an assist. Elijah Haar and Alejandro Peneda each added one goal. </p><p class="p1">The Cats played this past Tuesday at Saxony Lutheran in Jackson, Missouri, and will play tonight at Sikeston, Missouri. </p><p class="p1">They will then travel north again to take on Waterloo-Gibault Catholic in what could be a preview of a sectional game should the Cats advance out of the regional round. The Cats will host the regional, with the schedule to be determined in the next couple of weeks.</p>