Crookston Pirates Girls Soccer drops close contest to Hillcrest Academy

The Crookston Pirates Girls’ soccer team had lots of scoring opportunities but just couldn’t find the back of the net as the Fergus Falls Hillcrest Academy Comets scored two goals in the final eight seconds to win by a score of 2-0 in Fergus Falls on Tuesday.

FIRST HALF –
This game was full of scoring opportunities for both sides, but in the first half neither team could find the net. Crookston was getting some good scoring chances on rushes from Kira Daniels on one side, and a rotation of Brooklyn Waldal and Jennika Reese on the other side, but the shots primarily were right at the goalkeepers. Kambree Wangen continued her solid play to open the season by making seven saves in the half, and for the first time this season, the Pirates had more shots on goal in a half, as Crookston forced Comet goalie Leah Ravenscraft to make eight saves in the half. The action slowed down in the final few minutes, and the game went into the second half scoreless.

SECOND HALF –
In the second half, the same themes continued. Both teams were getting good looks, but the goalies stepped up to the task. Both teams were deadlocked in shots headed into the final minutes. A score finally occurred in the 72nd minute, as the Comets finally broke through. Kaia Fiskness fired one towards Wangen, who couldn’t squeeze it, and Fiskness followed her shot and buried it in the net, giving Hillcrest a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, on the next Pirate rush, Ravenscraft went down and had to leave due to injury. McKinlee Ballweg came in, made a quick save, and on the ensuing rush, Dakota Campbell put the nail in the coffin, as a misplayed ball found the net, giving the Comets a hard-earned 2-0 victory.
Pirate head coach Sarah Reese was proud of the girls, but still acknowledged the opportunity they had tonight. “There was lots of play-making” said Reese, “We played well and we had several shots, and Kambree made some solid saves throughout. This was definitely a winnable game.”

Crookston drops to 0-5 on the season, while Hillcrest improves to 3-0.

Scoring –
72′ – FFHC – Kaia Fiskness
77″ – FFHC – Dakota Campbell