Dogies finish out a tough weekend

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
Though the score may not reflect it, the Dogies continued to make strides to improve their game in two tough competitions over the weekend. The Riverton Wolverines defeated Newcastle 10-0 on Friday and the No. 1 seeded Torrington Trailblazers got the better of them 7-0 on Monday, however head coach Elyse Dickey insisted that she saw growth in her team through both contests.
“I told the guys that even though the score isn’t fun, we are getting better each game,” she said. “The previous week we struggled defending corners and Riverton only scored on one after scoring on us four times with corners last time, so that was a big improvement.” 
Riverton also threw another challenge at the Dogies in that theirs is a turf field, and Mother Nature provided her own obstacle with temperatures in the 80s.
“That turf took some getting used to and it was a little bit of a shock for our guys,” Dickey admitted. “It was also the hottest game of the season so far, and the turf heats things up even more. We were subbing out pretty quickly so they could rest up and stay fresh, and they all complained that their feet were hot so it was a learning curve.”
Pair the heat with a much larger and wider field along with the turf itself increasing the speed and bounce of the ball and the Dogies had a definite period of adjustment as play commenced, which Riverton took advantage of to get on the board with two quick goals just a few minutes into the contest. 
However, after the first 10 minutes or so, the Dogies settled in and battled pretty well throughout the first half, going into the break down 0-3.
In the second half, however, it all fell apart for Newcastle. 
“Riverton looked a lot better than when we played them at the beginning of the season. They talked really well and moved the ball much better, and were just a better team,” Dickey said. “They really looked good in the second half and scored seven against us, but I did definitely see some bright spots from our guys.” 
The Dogies were able to get off five shots on goal throughout the contest and they were dangerous ones that were on frame. However, the Wolverine keeper was very skilled and managed to thwart each attempt.
Dayton McFarlin, Ezra Anderson and Cael Holmes combined for the shots on goal and the Dogie defense was able to save 10 of Riverton’s 20 shots. Heath Henkle, the starting keeper, snagged five of those, William Beastrom who went in as keeper in the last 20 minutes of the game had three, and Avery Chick and Gavin Gray had one each as defenders. 
The No. 1 seeded Torrington ‘Blazers came to town to make up the previously postponed contest on Monday. 
Over the weekend Henkle suffered an injury so Dickey moved Hayden Overman into the keeper position for Monday’s game. Overman is usually a forward, however he used his speed and athleticism to save 19 ‘Blazer shots. 
“Hayden is quick and athletic and has great reaction time, so he did really well for not having played the position since middle school,” Dickey said. “Only allowing seven goals, and holding them to just three in the first half was also a bright spot in the game, and it shows that we played even better than we did against Riverton on Friday.”  
Offensively, the Dogies struggled a little against the fast and well-disciplined ‘Blazer squad, getting off only two shots on goal, one each from McFarlin and Anderson. However the defense stepped up given that most of the 80 minutes were played on their half of the field.
The Dogies have a quick turnaround before they head to Torrington on Thursday for the regularly scheduled rematch, then travel to Rawlins on Saturday for another second-time-around contest. The last time the Outlaws and Dogies played, Newcastle dropped it 1-7, but it was the first time they had scored on the season and Dickey is hoping to improve the outcome this time around.