It was a defensive struggle as the Crookston Pirate Girls Soccer team and Pelican Rapids Vikings ended their game with a scoreless tie in a Section 8A battle at KROX Radio Stadium Thursday evening.
FIRST HALF –
Crookston got started early, taking a possession into their offensive third just twenty seconds into the game. They would remain on offense for the majority of the half. Crookston was able to test Vikings goalkeeper Ashley Zavala early and often, firing off nine shots. Pirates head coach Sarah Reese says quality passing resulted in the shot attempts from Crookston. “I think technically, we played a really good game. We passed well and saw the open shots,” she said. Zavala responded well, however, as nothing made it her. Crookston’s best chances to score in the first half came from the corner kicks. Of the five attempts, there were two good shot chances for the Pirates. One of them was missed wide right off the hip of Brooklyn Waldal. Another saw Maddie Harbott get tangled up with the keeper in front of the net, but Zavala made a heads-up save before Harbott could take a shot. “We noticed (Zavala) was going down early, and we weren’t taking advantage by stepping to the side for the open net,” said Reese, “We were urgently trying the shot, and despite the quantity, we did not have the quality of shots.” Pelican Rapids was able to generate some offense in the middle of the half, but shot one out of bounds and the other into the gloves of Crookston goalkeeper Naomi Johnson.
SECOND HALF –
The Pirates wanted to continue pressuring the Viking defense to start the second half, but it was the Viking offense that started to come to life instead. The Pirate defense stayed aggressive though, interrupting many Pelican Rapids passing lanes and allowing Johnson to see minimal shots. Most of the Viking shots came from the corners, with Johnson having to do very little to make saves. Johnson was tested late in the half on a breakaway from Sadie Funk, but made a great save in front of the net. Crookston’s offense showed some fight as well, as they created shots late in the game as well. Anna Heldstab was unable to connect on a long shot late and Zavala made a close save on another Pirate attempt through a crowd of defenders. The pressure and drama for both sides ramped up in the final five minutes of play, as penalties added up for both sides. The Vikings had two free kicks within striking distance, but the Pirate defense held strong on both occasions. “We had a couple of bad touches in the last couple of minutes that led to the free kicks,” Reese said, “but we had great team defense. We lined up a wall, we communicated, and our defense executed wonderfully.” Crookston had the ball in the final minute, but the Viking defense kept Crookston near the sidelines and prevented the Pirates from getting a shot.
Crookston drops to 2-8-1 on the season and will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Melrose for a Section 8A matchup. Pelican Rapids is now 4-5-2.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Pelican Rapids | 0 | o | 0 |
| Crookston | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring –
No scoring
| SAVES | 1 | 2 | Final |
| Naomi Johnson – Crox | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Ashley Zavala – PRHS | 9 | 4 | 13 |
