JC plays to tie
The Jamestown College women’s soccer team looked poised to win their first game of the season at home against the University of Minnesota-Crookston on Tuesday night.By: Michael Savaloja, The Jamestown Sun
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The Jamestown College women’s soccer team looked poised to win their first game of the season at home against the University of Minnesota-Crookston on Tuesday night.
But even after a pair of 10-minute overtimes, neither the Jimmies nor the Golden Eagles could find the back of the net for a second time in the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the two teams walked off the field after battling to a 1-all tie.
“It was two young teams trying to find a way to win, but neither of us could put the game away,” said JC head coach Phillip Bohn. “It was a well-played game.”
Defense was a key ingredient for both teams in the first 45-minutes. Crookston sent just two shots on goal in the opening half, while JC sent three shots at Crookston goalkeeper Anna Ogaard.
The Golden Eagles controlled the offensive tempo for the most part early on, while Crookston’s Justine Jones caused headaches for the JC defense. The senior forward was able to work past defenders from the middle of the field for most of the evening and recorded four shots in the first half.
The Jimmies got their first golden opportunity to score when senior forward Lauren Cottom was awarded a free kick just outside the 18 with seven minutes left before the break. The Golden Eagles’ line held strong, however, and turned the shot away.
“This has kind of been our season so far. We start slow,” Bohn said. “Our goal was to hang in there defensively and figure out what we could do to attack them.
“We really wanted to come out and defend more organized and get through the first 10 minutes of the game and not bury ourselves.”
After holding strong in the first half, JC wasn’t able to capitalize on a pair of scoring opportunities early. A corner kick by Cottom was unable to result in the game’s first goal just seven minutes in, and JC’s Kodee Cloninger appeared to be one-on-one with Crookston keeper Ogaard in front of the net just two minutes later, but Cloninger opted to center a pass instead of fire a shot at the goal.
The Golden Eagles took advantage of the missed opportunities. Crookston’s Stephanie Lee banged home a header with 23 minutes left in regulation off a Megan Flynn corner kick to put the Golden Eagles up 1-0.
The corner kick was set up by another drive to the net by Jones.
The Jimmies brushed off the goal and began to put together their best offensive series of the game. With 15 minutes left JC’s Hannah Langseth was taken down on a drive, setting up a Cottom free kick outside the 18.
Cottom’s shot sailed high, but the senior wasn’t finished. A minute later Cottom tied the game on a beautifully executed corner kick from the left side. The ball bounced around a pair of Crookston defenders, and JC’s Cloninger was in the area, but the goal was credited to Cottom.
“She’s probably one of our best goal scorers and she’s been asked to do a lot,” Bohn said of Cottom. “But one of the things we’ve been able to do is find some success at set pieces.”
In the first overtime, Jamestown’s Shannon Walsh had a shot turned away by Ogaard in the final two minutes, while another corner kick by Cottom was unable to result in any points. Walsh was tied with Cottom with three shots on goal in the contest.
“We switched formation a little and asked more of our midfielders. That probably wore them out,” Bohn said.
A late flurry by the Jimmies in the second OT was also shut down by the Golden Eagles, as the game ended in a 1-1 deadlock. Ogaard recorded five saves in the game for Crookston, while Jamestown goalkeepers Angela Veches and Emily Schmit combined for seven saves.
The Jimmies (0-2-1) continue their season this Friday at Aberdeen, where they’ll take on Northern State University.
“This week we’ve learned a lot of things about our team. We’re young and sometimes make mistakes, but one of our goals was to show improvement today and I think we did that,” Bohn said. “We were better at stabilizing our back line and being a little bit more organized. Our offense is still a work in progress.”
Jamestown College 1, Minnesota-Crookston 1, 2 OT
Crookston 0 1 0 0 — 1
Jamestown College 0 1 0 0 — 1
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring.
Second half
1, Crookston, Stephanie Lee (Megan Flynn), 67:10; 2, JC, Lauren Cottom (unassisted), 77:10.
First overtime
No scoring.
Second overtime
No scoring.
Goalkeeper saves: Crookston, Anna Ogaard 5 saves. Jamestown College, Angela Veches 2 saves, Emily Schmit 5 saves.
Records: Jamestown College 0-2-1; Minnesota-Crookston 0-0-1.
Sun sports writer Michael Savaloja can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by e-mail at mikes@jamestownsun.com
Tags: sports, jimmies, soccer, womens, crookston
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