Cold temperatures not enough to stop Washington girls soccer

WASHINGTON — At least it wasn’t as windy as usual. Monday’s Southeast Conference girls soccer match between Washington and visiting Fairfield was played in mid-30-degree temperatures, and if the wind were as strong as normal, the wind chill would have made play difficult.

Washington made it difficult for Fairfield and pulled away from a 1-0 halftime score to win 4-0 with goals from Greta Rothe, Emma Calderon and Trina Griffin, who had two.

“That was a rough game because of the cold, but that is no excuse,“ Fairfield coach Brittany Metcalf said. "They played in the same conditions we did. We struggled. Our touches were off.”

Washington enjoyed a 1-0 lead 16 minutes before halftime when Rothe took possession of the ball on the Demons side of midfield and dribbled through traffic to 10 yards out for a shot that eluded goal keeper Trisha Westphal.

“Greta is talented,” Washington coach Steven Caulk said.

While Washington has some strong pairings working well together, Fairfield still is working on making connections.

“We need to be playing more as a team, and Washington was playing really well together,” Metcalf said. “They worked the ball so well, had great touches and that’s how we came up short.”

Emma Calderon started the second half for Washington with her first career goal.

“Trina (Griffin) gave me a nice little pass, and I had to kick it with my non-dominant foot,” Calderon said. “It was kind of hard because I don’t usually kick with my right, but I made it.”

Less than 3 minutes in, it was 2-0. It was Griffin’s third assist this season, a stat that was a zero her sophomore season.

“It was a great feeling to get that goal, especially great to score for the first time,” Calderon said. “It was great to beat Fairfield, and we are having a great season.”

Rothe assisted on a Griffin goal with 21 minutes to play for a 3-0 lead, and Griffin scored again 3 minutes later on a sliding kick that arched over Westphal and into the upper left corner of the net. Griffin, who has 10 goals this season, hit the crossbar and the upright on two other shots.

The Demons are 3-1, 2-1 SEC. Washington’s next game will be Thursday at Mt. Pleasant, which has a 7-0 win over Fairfield. The Trojans are 1-2 overall and SEC and host Knoxville today.

"It means something to us every game we win,“ Caulk said. ”Maybe this is a more meaningful win because it’s just so darn cold out here.“

Caulk said the Demons still have some kinks that need worked out. “Defensively we have a lot going on that’s working well for us in the center of the field. We just need to refine our instincts.”

Fairfield likes to take long shots, but the short field and Washington’s quickness took away that advantage.

“They definitely outplayed us, and Washington was always there because they would crash the goal,” Metcalf said. “They played really well, and they looked good.”