WOODS CROSS — It took 57 minutes of attacking soccer before Woods Cross forward Jen Anderson got her foot on a cross from teammate Morgan Brown and gave the Wildcats their lone goal in a 1-0 win over Highland in a Region 6 soccer game. But the game could have been decided much sooner.
"We had a lot of chances to put this one away in the first half," said Wood Cross coach Kevin Rigby. "We were creating some good scoring opportunities but just couldn't finish. If we finish our chances early, this one never would have been in doubt.
"I thought that throughout, we were the team in control, that we never really lost control of what was going on," Rigby added. "We had moments of brilliant soccer, moments of great soccer and then moments where we simply held our own, but I thought it was our game."
The Wildcats controlled the midfield, and by controlling the middle, they were in charge of the tempo and most of the action. Taryn Rose, Shae Fernandes and Jane Campbell took charge in the middle of the field. They kept possession and distributed out to the wings to initiate the attack.
"Taryn played a great game in the middle," said Rigby. "She really wants to be a scorer, but she does a great job in the middle. Control is what we need her to do the most, and today, she did that. Jane Campbell had probably her best game for us this year, and Shae does a good job of keeping things going our way."
Rose missed a golden opportunity she would like back in the 37th minute when she dribbled past a pair of defenders but launched her shot from 15 yards away up over the bar.
"We had some shots that normally we are going to put away that we just couldn't finish today," said Rigby. "We work on it, but I think every team is always looking for better finishing."
As well as Woods Cross missing out on some scoring opportunities, Highland played a great game defensively. Sweeper Brooke Edman kept things organized in the back for the Rams, who frustrated the Wildcats by dropping as many as eight or nine players back into the box and times to limit space. Highland goalkeeper Alli Perkins also had several nice saves to keep the Rams in the game.
"They are a great defensive team," Rigby said. "Our girls couldn't get many openings. Their keeper was also very good today."
The defensive effort for the Wildcats was just as impressive. Sweeper Emily Mangelson kept everything in front of her allowed only a few long-range shots on goal as keeper Kellie Hogan posted the shutout.
Woods Cross is now 2-0 in Region 6 and 5-0 early in the season, making the Wildcats one of the clear front-runners for a 4A state title.
"We just need to keep getting better every game," said Rigby of a possible championship. "As long as we remember our team concepts and continue to improve, I think we will be right there."
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