Aledo’s four-game homestand couldn’t have gotten off to a better start than it did on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when Azle came to town. In the opening match of the evening, the Ladycats dominated the visiting club, 4-1. The nightcap went even better for the Bearcats, who picked up their first district win of the season as they decimated the Hornets, 6-0.
The Ladycats came into the season with a great deal of uncertainty. With such a young group, head coach Bryan Johnson spent much of the preseason looking for the right mix of starters and hoping to find a primary scoring threat. Thirteen games into the season, the Ladycats (6-5-2 overall, 3-1-1 in District 5-5A) appear to be erasing several question marks.
“I’ve known what we needed to do and how we needed to do it, but it’s just been a question of all of them buying in,” Johnson stated after the match against Azle. “I think every girl is starting to prove themselves in the positions they’re in with the way they’re playing.”
The question around who would step up to be the primary scoring threat has been answered emphatically by freshman Allyson Weimer. Since the start of district play, Weimer has scored nine goals giving her 13 on the season thus far.
“I can’t say enough good things about Ally,” Johnson said of his leading goal scorer. “Her stepping up as a freshman has been amazing. I’m super proud of her and the effort she puts in.”
Aledo held possession of the ball for most of the first half in the girls game. Despite having several scoring attempts early, the halfway point of the half came and went with the match remaining scoreless.
Weimer changed that with just under 15 minutes remaining in the opening half as she scored her first goal of the evening. In spite of their persistence, though, the Ladycats were not able to score any other goals in the first half, and went into the break leading by a slim, 1-0 margin.
“The thing we talked about at halftime was, in the first half it seemed like Azle was able to receive the ball, pass the ball, and we weren’t really pressing,” Johnson said about the adjustments his club made at intermission. “We weren’t putting them under. We were being very passive. The second half obviously showed we were playing with a little more passion.”
That passion translated into goals.
Just minutes into the second half Weimer did what she does best, as she found the back of the net once more. Putting a shot on goal from 15 yards out, she snuck the ball past Azle’s keeper to provide the Ladycats with some breathing room.
Aledo kept the forward pressure on as time continued to tick off the clock. After several minutes elapsed, the Ladycats added another goal when Georgia Zirbser tapped one in from just a few feet out right in front of the keeper to make it 3-0 in favor of the home team.
The Ladycats weren’t done. With just under nine minutes left to play, Abigail Shiller scored the first goal of her career, capping off a spectacular performance by the Ladycats.
Azle managed to keep from being shut out in the match, as the Lady Hornets were able to score a single goal with less than three minutes left to play. It was too little, too late, however, as Aledo secured second place in District 5-5A with the win.
“They’re all starting to buy into it,” Johnson said after the match. “It’s the little things. You can see things we’re working on in practice are finally coming true in a game.”
Since entering the district portion of the schedule, Aledo’s Bearcats have been riding the struggle bus. Dealing with nagging injuries coupled with just not putting their best performances on the pitch early in district play put a solid team in a difficult position.
On Tuesday night, the Bearcats returned to form against Azle.
“We talked about our backs being against a wall,” head coach Derek Vierling said after the game. “This was a must-win game. The kids came out and performed. They did a nice job. I told the team, all around from goalkeeping to finishing, we were on par for everything.”
The Bearcats were the perfect balance of aggressive, yet patient against Azle. They pressed the Hornets the entire match, controlling possession of the ball for the vast majority of the 80 minutes.
Even while putting relentless pressure on the Hornet defense, the Bearcats took their time with their attack. They moved the ball effectively, waiting for Azle to get out of position. When the opportunities arose, they attacked swiftly and accurately like a viper hunting its prey.
Cole Crawford started off the scoring for the Bearcats in the 12th minute to put the home team on the board, 1-0. Five minutes later Korbyn Gill scored a goal of his own, lifting Aledo to a 2-0 lead less than halfway through the first half.
With 11 minutes left in the first half Gill found Crawford in space as Crawford buried a shot in the back of the net for his second goal of the contest, as Azle found themselves on the business end of a 3-0 score.
The scoring onslaught continued as Adrian Solis added yet another goal with just over four minutes left before the break.
As play resumed in the second half, so did the scoring for Aledo. In the 51st minute of play Austin Randriamahefa took a corner kick for a charging Bearcat offense. Elliot Smith managed to get on the other end of it, as the home team scored on the set piece to make it a 5-0 affair with just under 30 minutes left to play.
Randriamahefa scored the final goal of the night for the Bearcats with 21:34 left to play. With the ball along the near touch line, Randriamahefa put an exquisite shot on goal with his left foot. The ball curled in front of the goal out of reach of the keeper before clanging off the far goalpost for a gorgeous goal that capped off a spectacular performance by the Bearcats.
“We just want to keep possessing the ball,” Vierling noted. “We had a lot of possession tonight. If we can control the ball, then they’re not able to score. That’s what we try to do. We did that really well tonight. And, we were finishing. It was really working tonight.”
Aledo’s soccer clubs will be back in action at Tim Buchanan Stadium on Friday when Granbury comes to town. The Ladycats will take the pitch first at 5:30 p.m. with the Bearcats to follow.
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