Wakefield girls soccer shuts out Enloe
Wakefield exploded for four goals in the second half, breaking open a tight soccer contest with Enloe, escaping for a 6-0 Cap-8 Conference victory.
The Wolverines (5-0-1) took shot after shot early in the contest, only to be turned away several times by Eagles’ goalie C.J. Garvey, who had a trio of clutch saves in a span of seven minutes. Wakefield finally saw one go through at the 16:36 mark on a header from Tori Hansen.
The Wolverines were able to sneak one more on the clock before the half. Meghan O’Ferral found herself one-on-one with an Enloe defender, made a quick move to the basket and found the back of the net with 31.5 seconds remaining.
As tightly as the first half was played, the second turned out to be the complete opposite. Wakefield junior Morgan Nanni fired a shot that bounced off the top of the crossbar, went straight up in the air, falling back into the net. The Enloe sideline argued the ball hit the goalpost. Nanni said she didn’t think it hit the post – she did acknowledge it hit a defender in the face – turning the tide of the game.
“At 2-0, it’s a different game to be able to play,” Eagles coach Brian Schnitzlein said. “The minute that 3-0 happen it probably took a little bit out of the girls.”
The Wolverines got another goal from Nanni and one each from Autumn Esposito and Halee Enderle to round out the scoring.
“The first half we were really just trying to force it a lot,” Nanni said. “The second half we played simple balls and combinations. We played a lot faster instead of one or two touches. Overall the team effort was great throughout the whole game.”
Turning point
Nanni’s first goal of the second half was a back-breaker.
“Just the beginning of the second half (the game) kind of turned,” Wakefield coach C.J. Komons said. “We went back to playing simple soccer.”
Three to know
Morgan Nanni, Wakefield: Junior forward had consecutive goals in the second half, also added one assist.
Autumn Esposito, Wakefield: Senior midfielder had one goal and one assist for the Wolverines.
C.J. Garvey, Enloe: Junior goalie was a brick wall in the first 20 minutes of the game for Enloe. Garvey turned away three shots in the box in a seven minute span.
What worked
Both Komons and Nanni pointed out once Wakefield started taking care of the little things the game became a lot easier for the Wolverines.
“We tried to force everything in the first half,” Komons said, echoing the thoughts of Nanni. “Things got simpler in the second half. That’s what we need to do. When we do that we looked really good. That’s what we need to do. It’s good soccer. Just plain and simple.”
Needs improvement
Being in the wrong spots at the wrong times killed Enloe. Defensive breakdowns ultimately is what did the Eagles in after hanging tight with the Wolverines.
They said it
“It wasn’t exactly how we always play,” Nanni said. “But I think it was definitely on the better hand.”
Looking ahead
Wakefield has a quick turnaround, taking on Rolesville Thursday afternoon on the road.
“It’s tough,” Komons said. “This is the one week of the year we play three games.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Wakefield girls soccer shuts out Enloe."