Three second-half goals enough for win on small field
FARIBAULT -- The Austin girls soccer team was forced to play small-ball against Faribault on Tuesday and the Packers adjusted well for a 3-0 victory.
"It was an odd game," Packers coach Mark Raymond said.
High School soccer games are generally played on fields about 70 yards wide and 120 yards long. Faribault's field was the smallest allowed by the Minnesota State High School League, about 45 yards wide and 80 yards long.
"I was a postage stamp," Raymond said. "It created a problem for us. We were right on top of each other."
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It took the Packers one half of play to adjust. Austin dominated the first half, but could not score.
"It was just clogged," Raymond said of the first half. Because Austin controlled play almost all of the players were on the Faribault side of the field.
"There were not a lot of shooting lanes," Raymond added.
The Packers made adjustments at halftime. They put two forwards on the right side of field along with two of their four mid-fielders while attacking.
"We moved some people around to free up some space on one side of the field," Raymond said. "That way we had a lane and some room."
The Packers then attacked on the side with fewer players.
Twenty minutes into the second half, the adjustment paid off. Jessica Vorphal put ball in the box and Megan Nace scored on the rebound.
Ten minutes later, Whitney Murray sent a pass to Natalie Morem. Morem took the ball at the 18-yard mark with her back to the net. She spun around and beat the goalie with a high shot.
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Murray concluded the scoring at the 75-minute mark on an assist from Morem. Morem took the ball to the deep left corner and passed back to Murray. Murray dribbled in on the keeper and beat her with a low shot.
Austin finished with 21 shots while Packers goalie Kelly Momsen made three saves for the shutout. Raymond also gave a lot of credit to the Austin defense.
"Because of the small field, this was a real big adjustment for the defense and they did a nice job of adjusting their style of play," Raymond said.
The Packers (4-6, 2-4 Big Nine) have now won three straight and will play at Mankato East on Thursday at 7 p.m.
