The Lady Spartans soccer team opened the 2022 season in grand fashion in chilly conditions blanking the West Delaware Hawks 10-0 and ending the game with 25:51 still aglow atop the scoreboard courtesy of the ten goal mercy rule Monday, March 28 at home. Solon mercilessly attacked the Hawks’ goal amassing a 7-0 lead in the first half and wasting little time following the break to score three more goals, allowing the boys soccer game following to get under way still in the light of day.
Junior Morgan Link and freshman Rose McAtee spearheaded Solon’s offense, both with six shots on goal. Link scored four, recording 16 shots total while McAtee scored three with twelve total shots. Sophomore Gabby Knipper shot six times, four on goal, scoring a point; sophomore Tali Radcliffe fired three time on goal and scored a point; freshman Addi Greene scored once on her only shot on goal; sophomore Grace Yetley took nine shots, four on goal; freshman Farrah Hendricks fired three times, once on goal; junior Georgia Havlicek fired three times; and senior Alex Locke shot once.
Knipper was responsible for two assists and freshman Silvia Hendricks recorded one assist.
Junior Alex Paisley spent a lonely 80 minutes in the goal for Solon.
“Rose McAtee, a freshman, brought great energy up top for her season opener and scored herself a hat trick,” praised Head Coach Amanda Paulson. “I felt Gabby Knipper helped us move the ball and create more space in the second half. Morgan Link also had several great corner kick services and led the team with four goals.”
Pleased with the team’s performance, Coach Paulson said the team was all business in the opening game.
“Half time discussion was mostly around possession and creating space by servicing the ball wide. We were trying to push the ball down the middle too much which was challenging since they were packing the 18.”
Hawk goalkeeper Emily Prier spent 50 minutes in the goal under an unrelenting Lady Spartan assault, allowing ten goals and accruing 19 saves.
Paulson was quick to compliment her performance.
“I thought their goalkeeper had some good saves,” she commented. “They packed the back line which made it hard to find space. This forced us to distribute the ball wide before moving centrally.”
The win elevated the Lady Spartans’ season record to 1-0 and relegated the Hawks to 0-1.
The Regina Regals (0-1), following a loss to Union Community on March 28, loomed on Solon’s schedule for a Thursday, March 31 girl-boy double header and the promise of bitter temperatures.
“Regina is always an exciting, rival game,” Coach Paulson revealed. “We are hoping for warmer weather soon, but the energy on the team is great. We continue to make adjustments and continue to tweak the starting line up based on performances in practice and games. We have a lot of talent and depth, looking forward to the season!”
Blustery and cold is the best description of the weather and outcome of the confrontation between the two rivals on Thursday, March 31 on the windswept Spartan Stadium field as Solon came up short by just a goal following overtime and penalty kicks, succumbing to the Regals 3-2.
Silvie Hendricks scored Solon’s first point, her first career goal, planting a cross courtesy of Link with a little under eight minutes expired, at the back post to provide Solon the early lead.
A 1-1 stalemate at the half promised an exciting conclusion.
The players, assailed by 30 degree temperatures and intermittent, unrelenting precipitation, battled the wind as Regina appeared perched on a 2-1 lead when a handball penalty on the Regals, with a little more than 12:35 remaining, offered Link an opportunity to tie the score. She capitalized, burying the penalty kick, and resulting in overtime at the end of regulation.
A double-overtime, still stymied at 2-2, was followed by a penalty kick shootout in which the Regals came out on the winning side, 3-2, for the win a little over 130 minutes following the kickoff.
“The game against Regina was a hard fought, physical game,” Coach Paulson summarized. “It’s always hard to lose in penalty kicks, especially after 100 minutes of play. The girls feel the pressure when we have to go to penalty kicks, but as a coaching staff, we tell them to have composure and confidence.”
Solon goalkeeper Paisley was credited with a save on three shots made against her on goal in regulation.
Link fired five times, once on goal, scoring and with one assist leading the Lady Spartans on the field against the Regals. Silvie Hendricks shot once on goal with success. Izzy Paisley shot once on goal as did Gabby Knipper, and McAtee was credited with a shot as was Georgia Havlicek.
“I felt our back line, especially our center backs — Maria Milliman and Alex Locke — did a great job with (Regina’s Grace Gaarde) and (Alli Clark) up top,” Coach Paulson hailed. “They minimized dangerous play and also demonstrated composure with a lot of direct balls in the air from Regina’s back line. There was a lot of wind coming at us in the second half and I felt we handled it well. Our center mids — Knipper, Yetley and Link — also fought hard to maintain possession in the middle of the field. Every player on the field, and coming off the bench, fought and worked to support their teammates. Even when we were tired the girls didn’t give up. We have a special group this year.”
Coach Paulson was also quick to analyze what led to the Regals’ success.
“Regina high pressed our back line, which forced them to play quickly out of the back. (Gaarde) and (Clark) are skilled on the ball and weren’t afraid to take on our back line (one on one). It forced us to stay on our toes and keep them in front of us. Regina also played a lot of direct balls out of the back, especially when they had the wind at their back. Our biggest take away is we need to maintain composure under high press teams and be more precise with our ball movement so we aren’t turning it over in the center.”
Next up the Spartans played the Marion Wolves (0-0) at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, and host South Tama (0-2) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 8. Monday, April 11, the Lady Spartans travel to the Wellman Rotary Soccer Fields in Wellman to battle the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks (0-1) at 5 p.m. and return home to host the Beckman Catholic Blazers (0-0) at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at Spartan Stadium.
“Marion has been a challenge for us the last few years,” Coach Paulson iterated. “We are excited to play them at home, on our turf, and see how our talent matches up.
“We will be missing a few players for our game against South Tama, but I have full confidence in our line up.
“Mid Prairie is always a physical game, and the game is usually slowed down on their grass field. We will have to have more movement off the ball and make sure we are putting pace behind our passes and strikes at goal.”
If the first two games of the fledgling season indicate what is to come, the Lady Spartans promise to entertain.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Jeff Hess

Lady Spartan freshman Addi Greene prepares to take a shot on goal after gaining a few steps on West Delaware’s Madelynn Zehr just before the half during Solon’s 10-0 spanking of the Hawks on March 28.