CROOKSTON GIRL’S SOCCER SHUT OUT BY FERGUS FALLS IN SEASON OPENER

The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Soccer team didn’t capitalize on their offensive opportunities as Fergus Falls broke away late in the second half with a trio of goals to get a 4-0 victory. “The score is deceiving. It was a large, turf field and they came away with breakaway goals,” said Pirates Head Coach Sarah Reese.

FIRST HALF
Crookston dominated the first 20 minutes of the first half. They played well on both defense and offense and were controlling all parts of the field. Despite the great play, they did not capitalize on any of their scoring chances. “We certainly had shots and opportunities from Cassie [Solheim] and Maddie [Harbott] and others,” said Coach Reese.
Fergus Falls found their rhythm after that and got the scoring started in the 31st minute to take the 1-0 lead. That remained the score through the first 40 minutes.
With a promising first half, Crookston went into halftime with a few things they wanted to change to build on their strong half. “We talked about applying more pressure on them defensively so that they didn’t have as much space to turn and see the field,” explained Coach Reese.

SECOND HALF
The second half started the same way as the first half. Again, the first twenty minutes were played strongly by the Crookston squad. But, they were yet to find the back of the net.
Fergus Falls, specifically Piper Andrews, then took over the rest of the second half. Andrews found herself in three opportunities primed for scoring and she made them count. She completed three breakaway chances in minutes 60, 65, and 72 to put the game away. “All four goals were breakaway one-on-one goals. Reese [Swanson] came out aggressively, like she should, to take away the space and time, but they stayed calm with the ball and found the back of the net,” explained Coach Reese.

It was a strong first game of the season for the Pirates. They played good soccer for most of the game. The girls showed solid skills throughout the match, but Fergus Falls made the most of their opportunities. “As a whole we had a solid first game and I saw a lot of good things we can build on during the season,” added Coach Reese. “It was great to see Cassie playmaking from the forward position and Reese Swanson had an incredible game and she never stopped working hard in the goal.”

Crookston falls to 0-1 and will travel Fergus Falls to take on Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Tuesday at 4:30 pm. Fergus Falls improves to 1-1 in the early season.