The Crookston Pirate Girls’ Soccer team got much better as the game went on but were unable to stop the Melrose Dutchmen, losing 5-2 in their season opener in Melrose on Thursday afternoon.
FIRST HALF –
Both teams got off to a slower start, with offense being minimal. The Crookston offense was keeping up with the Melrose offense, only being outshot 5-4 in the first half. 8th Grader Kambree Wangan got the start in net for the Pirates and to start the first half, she kept a clean sheet. However, Melrose’s Brianna Raya Ambriz had an opener to remember, scoring two of her five goals in the game in the first half, and that gave the Dutchmen a 2-0 lead headed into the second half.
SECOND HALF –
The second half turned out to be a significant improvement for the Pirates, as the offense began to get rolling. In the 51st minute, Jennika Reese led the ball on a rush and delivered a great crossing ball to Grace Boll, who tapped it in for her first varsity goal to get the Pirates on the board. From there, though, the offensive momentum swung back to Melrose, and specifically Brianna Raya Ambriz, who added on to her tremendous day with a second-half hat trick. The Pirates would get the last word, though, as Kinsley Wangan split the defense and found the back of the net in the 79th minute. That would be the last bit of offense the Pirates would get, though, as the Dutchmen were able to hold on for a 5-2 victory.
Pirate head coach Sarah Reese was proud of the girls for their play overall. “The score wasn’t indicative of the play” Reese said, “it was good to see the passing game develop…we’re still working on getting into soccer shape.” Reese also highlighted players who performed well, and lauded the mindset of the girls into the second half. “We settled into the game connecting our passes, supported teammates and were motivated to dig out of a 2-0 deficit.”
Crookston drops to 0-1 on the season and will have their home opener on Monday. Melrose is now 1-0 on the season.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Crookston | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Melrose | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Crokston Scoring –
51st minute – Grace Boll (Jennika Reese)
79th minute – Kinsley Wangan
Melrose Scoring –
Brianna Raya Ambriz – scored all five Melrose goals
| SAVES | 1 | 2 | Final |
| Kambree Wangan – Crox | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Nichole Rademacher – Melrose | 4 | 3 | 7 |
