The Berkshire Badgers girls’ soccer team is using a fast start to the season to prove that last year’s success was no fluke. The Badgers continued their perfect start by rolling past Lakeview 7-2 last Saturday afternoon in Cortland.
“It has been a great start,” said Coach Ian Patterson “We had a close match against Lakeview last year on senior night, so it was a team we had been looking forward to all offseason to redeem our seniors from last year, so the girls were definitely ready to get going.”
The Badgers (2-0, 0-0) seized the momentum at the beginning of the match as junior midfielder Brianna Kenny sent a through ball to senior forward Kelly McCandless up the middle and she scored the game’s first goal inside the fourth minute of regulation.
Berkshire stifled the Bulldogs’ offense in the first 20 minutes of play before striking again, this time when McCandless fed a through ball up the middle to sophomore midfielder Emma Rucinski who buried the goal at the 22nd minute of play, pushing the lead to 2-0.
McCandless delivered another goal when a mad scramble for the ball inside the box resulted in senior forward Caitliyn Rucinski deflecting the ball to McCandless in the middle of the box and she shook off a defender to score her second goal, extending Berkshire’s lead to 3-0 in the first half.
According to the eight-year coach, although Berkshire controlled the first half, the Bulldogs mounted several scoring threats, but the defensive third kept Lakeview at bay, enabling Berkshire to maintain its advantage.
“We have really amped up the pressure across the board and we have been playing a very high-pressure defense which turns into a lot of easy offense for us,” he added. “Just because we have been so high pressure, it makes life difficult for the opponents so much.”
The Badgers’ maintained a firm grip on the match in the second half by tallying two goals in a span of less than a minute, as McCandless recorded a hat trick by converting on a long-distance free kick when she caught Lakeview’s defense scrambling to get back into formation inside the 44th minute of play and then fed Caitlyn a through ball in the middle that she booted into the net also in the 44th minute, pushing Berkshire to a 5-0 advantage.
Patterson said that as much as McCandless, Berkshire’s leading goal-scorer from last year, has excelled at scoring at the start of the season, he also praised her playmaking abilities, collecting four assists to go along with her nine goals.
“We have been led by Kelly, who has been on a hot start,” he noted. “We have actually brought her back into the center midfielder this year. She has either scored or assisted on 13 of our 15 goals so far. Even when she is not scoring the ball, she is contributing for everyone else.”
As much as Patterson relished seeing his squad seize the moment with two quick goals in short succession, he acknowledged that his team also allowed Lakeview to claw its way back into the game by scoring two straight goals, trimming the lead to 5-2.
Ultimately, the Badgers responded by scoring two more goals inside the final 10 minutes of play to clinch its second straight victory of the season.
Patterson noted that as dominant as the Badgers’ offense has been in the first two matches, it has not revolved around solely around McCandless but the entire attacking third, which consists of a balanced collection of goal scorers including the Rucinski sisters, sophomore forward Melissa Karl and sophomore forward Sora Sigler.
“It takes one or two girls to stop Kelly at least yesterday and by that time there are one or two other girls that are running free,” he said. “If you are going to try and take away Kelly, just know that there will be some repercussions.”
Berkshire’s fast start to the season has been aided by a roster that returns eight of last year’s starting 11. Patterson acknowledged that the team is carrying a sense of purpose, having missed out on a State Final Four bid in last year’s Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V playoffs.
“It feels like we are already in midseason form, and it is still the middle of August so it is an exciting place to be. I just hope we can keep it moving and keep improving and not get complacent with where we are at,” he said.
Following a home match against West Branch on Monday and a road match against Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division foe Wickliffe on Thursday, Berkshire will host CVC Valley Division rival Kirtland at the Great Lakes Cheese Stadium on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
