Lady Jackets Soccer Calm the Lake Erie Storm

by Tim Smith

Newton’s First Law states that an object in motion will stay in motion unless stopped by an immovable force. Though this rule doesn’t exactly apply to sports, the Cedarville Lady Jackets seemed to put it to use on Thursday night in a 4-0 win over the Lake Erie Storm.

Mackenzie Northcutt scored for the Lady Jackets in the fifth minute, putting Cedarville up 1-0 early in the game. Lake Erie pressured the Cedarville defense the entire game, but to no avail. Cedarville looked very strong on defense, forcing another shutout.

“With every week and every game, our entire defense has time to gel and work on details,” head coach Jonathan Meade said. The defense gelled alright, stopping many attacks and limited the Storm’s scoring opportunities.”

While the defense stood strong on their end, the Lady Jackets’ offense flourished, scoring four goals for the second game in a row.

The second score of the match came in the 25th minute from freshman forward Olivia Hoffman. The score was scored off a corner kick, but here is the beauty of it: Hoffman kicked the corner herself. The young Jacket put a beautiful spin on the ball and netted it right above the goalie’s head.

The Jackets continued their scoring onslaught into the second half, with Hannah Atkinson scoring in the 48th minute and Alyssa Maillefer cashing in during the 51st.

Olivia Hoffman attributed the stellar play of Cedarville to the growing chemistry of the team as each game continues.

“We had momentum from our last game on Saturday, so we wanted to keep going and to keep getting better as each game comes, building the chemistry of the team as we go,” said the freshman striker.

The Cedarville Lady Jackets are now 4-1 and look to continue their winning streak against Ursuline on Saturday. Coach Meade recognizes Ursuline’s ability and skill, but he feels his girls are ready.

“Ursuline will present some new challenges for us. We have have played well over the past week, but we are presented with a new challenge and we have to face it head on.”

Hoffman feels confident of her team as well, stating the key is “don’t put too much pressure on ourselves and continue working as a team, not as individuals.”