For the second straight season, the Crestwood Red Devils girls’ soccer team is experiencing growing pains. Crestwood’s losing streak reached three when it was shut out by the St. Thomas Aquinas Knights 2-0 last Thursday evening at Sirpilla Field in Louisville.
“We are a rebuilding program, and somebody told me once a long time ago that you have to learn how to lose before you learn how to win,” said Coach Scot Etling. “We have not learned how to lose yet, so for us, it is another step.”
During the Red Devils’ (1-7-1, 0-1-0) three-match losing streak, they have been outscored by a 21-3 margin. The latest loss against the Knights marked the third match that Crestwood has gone scoreless this season.
On Thursday, the Red Devils outshot St. Thomas Aquinas by a 17-6 margin, but it was the Knights who made the most of their scoring opportunities.
The second-year coach noted that Crestwood enjoyed a strong start with quality possessions, but the momentum faded as the Red Devils rushed into several shots.
The Knights struck first in the opening period as junior forward/midfielder Kristian Wright scored off a corner kick, pushing St. Thomas Aquinas ahead 1-0.
According to Etling, Crestwood may have outshot the Knights but there was not enough connectivity in the offense, as most shots were aimed directly at St. Thomas Aquinas’ goalkeeper.
“Every kid wants to score a goal, and I get that, but the real frustration and the real hard part is knowing when you can’t score a goal and setting somebody else up to score,” he added. “At times we got goal happy, it was see ball, kick ball and that is where we get in trouble. “
The Knights lead increased to 2-1 when Wright once again delivered with an unassisted goal as she fired a long-distance shot over senior goalkeeper Alanna O’Bryant’s head.
While Crestwood’s defensive back line only surrendered six shots on goal, Etling said the St. Thomas Aquinas players had too much room to operate and create their own shot.
“Part of the learning process is that you step up and stop the shot and don’t let them shoot and they can’t score but when you sit and watch, that is what happens,” he said.
The Red Devils’ offense could not muster a response goal, as they struggled to generate possessions throughout the rest of the match, finishing with another lackluster offensive performance.
Etling acknowledged that it has been a long learning process for the Red Devils, who although they return eight of their starting 11 from last year, things have yet to come together.
Crestwood has been bolstered by an experienced defensive line, as all four starters are seniors, with O’Bryant manning the net, and Kelli Lee, Raylenn Long and Chloe Wallace have anchored the defensive positions.
As experienced as the Red Devils’ defense may be, the offense is still finding its way, as the Red Devils are incorporating eight freshmen into the rotation.
After an injury-plagued season in which Crestwood faced great difficulty in fielding a starting 11 last year, the Red Devils’ depth is improved, but the experience is slowly growing with such a young team.
“They have a lot of potential,” Etling said. “I have been telling them for two years that they have the potential to compete next year, and I am not blowing off this season, but they have a lot to compete for next season, but they just must buy in. They must develop and keep wanting to work together.”
The Red Devils are struggling to string together winning soccer at the moment, but Etling said that the horizon is filled with promise, as Crestwood will begin a new chapter when it joins the Greater Portage Athletic Conference next season, reuniting with several old Portage County rivals from the now-defunct Portage Trail Conference.
As challenging as things may be, Etling said that the team hopes to correct its weaknesses by the end of the season, setting themselves up for better outcomes when they begin play in the GPAC.
“The big caveat to all of that is that soccer is not something that can go away in October and show up in August and just expect to improve,” he said. “It takes development through the offseason.”
Following a road duel against Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division rival Lutheran West on Thursday evening, the Red Devils will return to action when they host Akron Coventry on Sept. 21 at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua at 7 p.m.
