Connersville

Your CMS Lady Spartans were on the road once more Thursday, this time traveling to Shelbyville to face the Golden Bears. Our girls knew going into the match that it would be a tough game: Shelbyville is an older, more experienced team, and we are an extremely young team. As the game kicked off, the Golden Bears put our Spartans under pressure early. Throughout the half, Shelbyville placed numerous shots on goal, resulting in Lois Riebsomer (7th) making 18 first half saves. The Golden Bears overwhelmingly controlled possession, turning it into chances on goal and smothering the Lady Spartan attack. As the first half came to an end, the Golden Bears were up 5-0. At halftime, the girls and the coaches talked about what we needed to improve, what had been working, and what the Lady Spartans might exploit more in the second half. The discussion also highlighted how well first-time goalkeeper Lois Riebsomer was playing and how tough our center backs (Laney Holmes (8th) and Kam Harmeyer (7th)) were on the Shelbyville attackers. Before the break, we also made a decision to change formations. The second half began similarly to the first, with pressure from the Golden Bears. However, with the formation change, and more importantly the renewed energy from your Lady Spartans, the defense and midfielders made it much more difficult for the Golden Bears to generate any meaningful chances. The energy and defensive effort the Lady Spartans showed in the second half was exactly the response the coaching staff wanted. Additionally, while they generated no shots, the Lady Spartans made routine runs into the attacking half and several runs into the attacking third. While the Spartans didn’t grab a goal in the second half, they did hold the Golden Bears scoreless as well. While the game ended 5-0, the second half better reflected what this group of young ladies is. Notable performances include: Laney Holmes (8th), Kam Harmeyer (7th), Addie Krause (8th), Vivi Grubbs (6th), and Bobbi Welter (6th). “Larry Shaker Shot Maker” award winner: Lois Riebsomer (7th), making her first competitive appearance in goal! Woman of the Match: Maizey Leach (6th), who put out a gutsy performance throughout the game!