Dogies fall to Bearcats

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
In their first soccer game in nearly two years, the Dogies ran into the juggernaut of a very talented Scottsbluff, Neb., team which unfortunately mercy ruled (and thereby ended the contest) the Dogies with 12 minutes to go by a score of 10-0.
“They were just a very talented team, and played mostly juniors and seniors,” began assistant coach Sally Hoover. “You could see their discipline and soccer savvy with the way they moved almost as one on the field.”
With more than 1,000 students to choose from at Scottsbluff High School, only the best wear the varsity uniform for the Bearcats, and with the Dogies down two starters, they were in for a challenge on March 23.
According to Hoover, the first 15 minutes of the contest were well played by her crew, however after that the Bearcats turned up the heat and scored two goals within two minutes.
“After those two goals, we went very defensive,” she explained. “Gavin [Gray] and Zade [Orsborn] did a phenomenal job of stopping the ball so many times on defense, and William [Beastrom] had five really good saves in the first half, and Dylan [McFarland] had four in the second.”
The Bearcats took 33 shots on goal during the contest so the Dogie defense and keepers were under fire for a great deal of the 68 minutes they were on the pitch. 
“They shot a lot of them really high, maybe partly on purpose, but they kept us working hard,” Hoover stated. “Our defensive line worked so hard, probably harder than they’ve had to in a game. Zade took a really good shot to the face with a cold soccer ball, but they never backed down and I was really proud of that.”
The Dogies had the ball on offense perhaps only half a dozen times throughout the contest, and in that time got off only two shots on goal. Those attempts were taken by Hayden Overman and Carson Bock, and though they were well executed, the Bearcats denied the ball. 
Bock also got the green light to attempt a shot on goal from the kickoff when Overman dropped him the ball. According to Hoover, it was a good shot, but also didn’t find the back of the net.
“After two years without playing a game, it just felt good to be out on the field,” Hoover said. “At half time, Ezra [Anderson] commented that he just really wanted to get back out there and play even though we were down 0-8 by that time and it was freezing out and miserable weather.”
“I appreciated that attitude, and though it was a little bit of a rough way to start out, we saw some good things and we saw some things we need to work on,” she continued. “It was also a little eye opening to really see where we are with our skills and what we need to improve upon.”
Hoover identified those areas that need work as better passing and shooting in order to capitalize on opportunities, as well as working on midfield strengths and reevaluating their formation moving forward. 
The Dogies will have plenty of opportunities to do just that as the season ramps up quickly with several games in quick succession. The squad will host their home opener on Thursday against the Buffalo Bison beginning at 2 p.m. for JV and 4 p.m. for varsity. The Bison are 0-3 on the season having lost to Sheridan, Powell and Scottsbluff, and have yet to score a goal.
Then on Tuesday, April 6, the Dogies are home again against Gering, Neb., with varsity scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.