DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
“When you can shut her down, you know you can play.”
Coach Steve Lee celebrated another win over the Norwell Knights by praising his two center backs Tuesday after a convincing 3-0 win by the Bellmont Braves in an important match against sectional and conference rivals.
Lee praised freshman Ashley Bleke and junior Bri Converset for shutting down Norwell’s Grace Mann, who scored last year against the Braves in the sectional and had already racked up five goals so far in four fixtures for the Knights.
“They don’t play like freshmen,” said Lee of not only Bleke, but her classmates Oni Krueckeberg and Kaitlyn Barton. While Bleke was solid at the back, both in her challenges going forward, and in her defending toward her own goals, Krueckeberg and Barton were quick to turn a 50/50 ball into a scoring opportunity.
Bellmont dominated in possession in the early going, but struggled to really test Norwell goalie Maggi Neuenschwander, herself a freshman. The Braves started to make things happen after the first ten minutes of the match passed when they became more direct, choosing to dribble and challenge defenders rather than sending in crosses from the wings.
Leila Jin was one of those direct players and she opened the scoring with her first goal of the season in the 16th minute off of an assist by Kaitlyn Barton. The goal only added more pressure on the Norwell midfielders, who were struggling to sustain any real possession because of the prowess of senior Gwen Laurent.
The only real chances for the visitors came on long balls from the back line up to Mann, who showed a great ability to shield and turn, or to simply let one bounce and then catch up with it on the other end. Mann did not, however, get a chance to directly at BHS goalie Emily Barton in the first half because of the superb play of Converset and Bleke. Mann’s frustration grew throughout the contest with Bleke, who simply matched the speed of the lightning-fast forward, and forced her wide or to the near post, where Barton always had herself covered.
Pressure in the attacking third led Laurent to pick up a second goal before halftime, putting the game firmly in Bellmont’s grip. Oni Krueckeberg added the assist to her 12th-grade teammate.
Another player who had an outstanding match and also kept Mann perturbed throughout was Adi Knipstein. Sure-footed and well-timed with her passes, Knipstein showed little worry with the pressing nature of Mann’s game. After catching the Norwell forward with her cleats on a clean play that was simply the follow through to a pass upfield, Knipstein inadvertently put Mann on the sideline for several minutes.
The game grew to be more physical from that point on, but coach Lee’s team never seemed nervous or concerned about a forearm or a hip becoming part of the weaponry. They matched Norwell bump for bump and showed the poise that can only come from playing such a tough schedule in the early going this season.
The final goal came from a Barton corner kick as the freshman tried to connect with Laurent in the air. The ball bounced around and Maggie Wilson’s shot ended up at the feet of Krueckeberg, who smashed it home and celebrated.
After scoring just one goal from normal play in the first four matches, the Braves’ three goals Tuesday night against a team that boasted victories over Blackhawk and Columbia City were signs that this team is ready to challenge for another NE8 and sectional title.
The Braves are back in action Wednesday night against Concordia at home. The next WZBD broadcast for the team will be Saturday, September 14th, against Canterbury with a 10 a.m. kickoff.
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