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Lady Cavs, Lady War Eagles showcase defense in draw

By: Emily Vernon, WOL Sports
| Published 02/06/2015

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SHENANDOAH, Texas - The College Park Lady Cavaliers and the Oak Ridge LadyWar Eagles met up on the field with the area rivals proving a compatible match against each other in a scoreless 0-0 draw.

Both the Lady Cavs (1-1-1) and the Lady War Eagles (2-1-1) proved all around strong teams, without specialization in either offensive or defensive positions. Oak Ridge started out the game with a shot from Janneth Tello in the 3rd-minute from the right side of the final third, which was recovered without pressure by College Park keeper Grace Johnson. However, College Park was not to be outdone by the Lady War Eagles, and produced an opportunity in the 10th-minute with a shot from midfielder Maria Rossi from the right side in which was picked up by the Oak Ridge keeper and redistributed for War Eagle possession.

“Oak Ridge is always tough, they have a great team, they’re always a big opponent for us, so what we really focused on this week was trying to play our game and trying to get in the right mindset to go out and just play hard,” Lady Cavalier coach Meredith Cook said of her team. “They played an excellent game, they played very hard against us. I wish we could have found a finish, I’m sure he [Oak Ridge coach James Collins] is feeling the same way, but it was a great game for evenly matched teams.”

The Lady War Eagles had two major opportunities in front of the College Park goal at the end of the second half, but the Lady Cavs’ defense was determined to keep the shut out. Oak Ridge Sophomore Colleen Bartal had a shot in the 42nd-minute, in which the Lady Cavs keeper was on the ground due to a block of Bartal’s first shot and the ball was loose at the top of the 18-yard box. Bartal took advantage of a second shot on an open goal, but missed as the ball went just wide of the post. College Park defenders had dropped back in an effort to help their goalkeeper, which added confusion and distraction to the situation. The next dangerous attack came in the 43rd-minute, once again by the Lady War Eagles, in which Elizabeth Montemayor headed a ball in a one-versus-one battle with College Park keeper Evans, but the ball redirected and switched to the left side of the field.

Oak Ridge, who started eight first year varsity players, is hoping to continue the season just as they have started it. “I am pretty impressed with the way we have started districts. They played well beyond my expectations, so I’m pretty happy with the season so far,” said Lady War Eagles coach James Collins. “Of course you want to finish your opportunities on a night like tonight against a good team,but like I told the girls, you got a result tonight, there is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s soccer, you know, sometimes you pay a good team, a tie is going to happen.”

The game finished with happy coaches on both sides, and determination to continue to prove excellence in the rest of the season games.

Both teams continue their district run on Tuesday of next week. College Park will be taking on Summer Creek on the road, while Oak Ridge will stay local and deal with area rival The Woodlands at home.

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