SHELBY – Speed was on display for Shelby’s girls soccer team Monday, April 16 against Whitehall. While that didn’t help propel the Tigers to a victory, it prevailed late to earn a 1-1 tie with the Vikings.
The Tigers quickly found themselves in a spot of trouble against Whitehall. The Vikings claimed an early advantage, finding the back of the net in the first five minutes of the game. Whitehall held that lead for the entirety of the first half, as Shelby struggled to gain consistent possession of the ball.
“We struggled for about 10 minutes after (Whitehall) scored that first goal,” Shelby Head Coach Pete Peterson said. “I have 18 girls that can play soccer, and I haven’t necessarily had that in years past. We’re still trying to figure out who plays best with who, and how to keep everybody fresh.”
Once Shelby gained its composure, the offense started to click. A combination of Kylee Hanson, Kylie Brown and Annabelle Stark started to find their way open in Viking territory. The Tigers started to get more shots on goal as time dwindled in the first half, but a flurry of mistakes kept them from finding a goal.
“Our problem this season has been that we just can’t finish the ball (near the net),” Peterson said. “We’re either overthinking things or just putting the ball to the goalie.”
After nearly 70 minutes of scoreless soccer, Shelby finally found an answer.
Stark – a freshman – used her speed to get through Whitehall’s back line, cutting straight up the middle of the field. With one quick redirect of the ball, Stark placed a quick shot past the Viking keeper to knot things up at 1-1.
That opened the floodgates, as Shelby consistently found chances to attack. Once again, those chances came up empty, ending the day at a stalemate.
“In the second half, I felt defensively we played a lot better,” Peterson said. “We started passing the ball a little better and we got a goal. Our freshman (Stark) was in the right spot and she was able to manufacture something.
“(Stark) is raw. She’s really fast, but she needs more help. We’ve got girls that are really good distributors, but they have to get up there at the same time.”
The tie keeps Shelby without a win on the year. The Tigers now sit at 0-3-1 (0-0-1 WMC).
