Panthers shut out Demons

Despite opportunities presenting themselves for the Washington girls? soccer team, Mt. Pleasant found a way to flip the field quickly on the Demons on Monday night.

The counterattack was the main weapon in the Panthers? arsenal as they rolled to a 3-0 victory over the rival Demons in Washington.

?One of the things we really focus on is following through on our counterattack,? Mt. Pleasant head coach Brennan Williams said. ?When Washington starts pushing up, they overcommit sometimes. I told our midfielders that as soon as we get the ball back, start on the attack. It worked today.?

The Panthers (4-3, 2-2 in Southeast Conference play) had a balanced effort on the scoresheet, with three different girls putting in goals on the day. That balance makes them even more dangerous heading into the second half of the season.

?The three goals that we had were all scored by three different girls,? Williams said. ?Everybody is getting in on the action, and now that?s seven girls that have now scored and only a couple have multiple goals. Everyone takes their opportunity and runs with it.?

For the Demons (1-6, 1-3 in conference play), it marks the third conference match where they haven?t been able to put a goal on the board.

Despite the offensive struggles, Washington head coach Kyle Collins said there was a lot of improvement on Monday afternoon.

?We played well on the field,? Collins said. ?Things flowed and passes moved; we were just a little sluggish. We were outrun. Games on Monday aren?t very fun, but we were connecting on passes and getting a lot of looks and there was a lot of improvement.?

According to Collins, the key to finishing those opportunities will take a little more aggressiveness from the team.

?We need to get to the ball,? Collins said. ?It can sit there and bounce three or four times and then it gets cleared. It should be one touch and then get shot. It was the aggressiveness and hustle we lacked today.?

Mt. Pleasant scored the lone first-half goal, off a Lauren Ralls strike to the bottom right portion of the goal.

In the second half, Hattie Leichty  made it a two-goal lead in the 50th minute, beating Washington goalie Stephanie Evans, who made seven saves on the night.

A third goal from Shyla Hiler in the 56th minute put the Panthers up by three, and Washington couldn?t solve Mt. Pleasant goalie Tiffany Leichty, who made five saves in the shutout.

?Our defense did a great job of closing out the opportunities when they did come for Washington,? Williams said. ?The three of them closed the shot right away and made it so our keeper didn?t have to make too many tough saves.?

The Demons opened the game with a different personnel grouping, and Collins said he is looking for the right formula to put the Demons on the winning track.

?We are trying different positions,? Collins said. ?Then they can see what everyone else has to do, too, and they aren?t stuck in one spot. We are trying to work them here and there, and then they?ll appreciate the team aspect.?

Washington will host Mediapolis in its next game, while Mt. Pleasant will take on Fairfield. Both games will be on Thursday.