INTERLACHEN — The Newberry Panthers girls soccer team took down the Interlachen Rams 3-0 Thursday.
Opportunity After Opportunity
The Panthers (5-0-1) dominated possession as they put up a staggering 34 shots against the Rams (1-3-2). Strong passing and defensive play in the midfield were key to generating those shots. Mallory Smith and Victoria Griffin contributed in this level of the pitch.
While shots may have been easy to come by, getting the ball past the Rams keeper Paige McCollum took a lot more effort as she made 15 saves on the match.
Smith was able to connect for the first goal. Then, after some great team passing, Eileen Wickens put away another goal.
After a handball in the box, Baylee Akers put a penalty kick past the keeper to give the Panthers a commanding 3-0 lead.
Throughout the match, the Panthers had many scoring opportunities that could have gone in with better luck of the bounce.
Shutout
The Panthers defense did their part too in the match. They gave up only four shots and Akers contributed three saves before being subbed out and moved to midfield.
With strong backline and midfield play, the Panthers had nothing to worry about on the defensive end.
In the second half, the Panthers’ defense did not allow a single shot from the Rams attack.
Looking Ahead
After this impressive showing, Panthers coach Ashley Arnold is happy with how her team played and looks forward to a much-needed stretch of home games.
The Panthers will next host the Fort White Indians (1-5) at 5 p.m. Dec. 2.