As the clouds cleared and the sun set Friday night at Clear Creek Amana High School, the Solon Lady Spartans seemed well on the way to their second win in a row after a strong first half performance against the Clear Creek Amana (CCA) Clippers. However, moments after the second half kickoff, disaster struck for the Spartans.
After a Rose McAtee goal in the first half, the Spartans were caught slacking to open up the second half. Less than a minute into the half, CCA stunned the Spartans with a goal of their own, leveling the game at 1-1. From there, the Clippers displayed an impressive defensive performance to savor the draw and avoid what would have been their eighth loss of the season.
“I’m not satisfied with the outcome,” said Spartans Head Coach Amanda Paulson. “I thought we had a great first half. We didn’t settle the game soon enough and we have to find ways to finish so we don’t put ourselves in that situation.”
The Spartans truly dominated the first half. You would run out of fingers if you tried to count the amount of golden opportunities they had in front of goal. On the bright side for Solon, they did a tremendous job of creating those opportunities.
“We’ve really been working on our transitional movement up top and creativity of our runs,” said Coach Paulson. “We saw a lot more of that tonight and I’m happy about that.”
The second half was different, as Clear Creek Amana did an overall good job of neutralizing Solon’s blistering attack.
“In the second half, Clear Creek Amana came out with a lot of energy,” said Coach Paulson. “We played a lot into their direct play causing more chaos.”
In a game full of positives for the Spartans, the one learning point was clear: converting opportunities.
The Spartans still have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves before the end of the regular season. At home, they will face a struggling Grinnell team on Tuesday before traveling to 13th ranked Marion on Thursday.
The Spartans are 4-5-2, but don’t let their record deceive you. This team has some serious talent.
“At the end of the day I would rather see us continue to build momentum as we move into the last part of the season than flatten out,” said Paulson. “I think we’re continuing to improve and come together as a team.”
Editor’s note -Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and Iowa High School Athletic Association rules this season have eliminated overtime and PK periods during the regular season. OT and PK shoot outs are allowed in postseason play.