Willyard sees progress — Lady Dogies battle through busy stretch

The Newcastle Lady Dogies soccer team dropped a pair of contests last week, falling 2-0 at home to Worland on April 10 before suffering a 7-0 loss on the road at Douglas the following day.

Despite the results, head coach Cami Willyard saw encouraging signs from her squad, particularly in the team’s first conference matchup against the Lady Warriors.

“In our first conference and home game we played great,” Willyard said. “I was especially proud of our effort and energy.”

The Lady Dogies showed improvement in several areas, including communication and winning 50/50 balls, which helped them stay competitive throughout the contest. The defense also began to come together as a unit.

“The back line really started to gel and move together,” Willyard said.

Goalkeeper Christine Swentesky anchored the defense with seven saves, while Ashlyn Leonard added two. Offensively, Newcastle generated opportunities with Zadyn Allen and Cheyanne Bloom each putting shots on goal.

Willyard noted that the narrow margin reflected a competitive match.

“A 0-2 score in soccer can go either way,” she said. “If we continue to improve each game, we have a chance to get Worland back when we go there later this month.”

The quick turnaround proved challenging as the Lady Dogies traveled to Douglas the next day for their third game in a week.

Newcastle held its own early, trailing just 2-0 at halftime against the Bearcats.

“We opened the game to a great first half against an athletic Bearcat team,” Willyard said.

However, fatigue became a factor in the second half, and Douglas pulled away for the 7-0 win.

“Our third game of the week got to us in the second half, and we lacked that energy and communication that had helped us in the previous game,” Willyard said.

Even as the score widened, the Lady Dogies continued to create chances. Allen led the team with two shots on goal, while Lillian Lopez added one. Swentesky recorded nine saves in the contest.

“Despite our fatigue, we were able to get through the Bearcats’ back line and had some promising attacks, probably more than we have had in any other game this season,” Willyard said.

The coach emphasized that while the team continues to show determination, attention to detail will be key moving forward.

“Although I am so proud of our fight, I know that we can improve and do a better job of the little things when exhaustion hits,” she said.

Newcastle will look to build on its progress this week with a lighter schedule, hosting Torrington on Thursday.

“This should be a game where, if we play to our potential and work as a team, we could get our first win of the season,” Willyard said.

Stats
Newcastle 0, Worland 2

Allen 2 shots on goal; Bloom 1 shot on goal; Swentesky 7 saves; Leonard 2 saves.

Newcastle 0, Douglas 7

Allen 2 shots on goal; Lopez 1 shot on goal; Swentesky 9 saves.