North Putnam girls' soccer earns 2-all draw against Southmont

Friday, August 24, 2012

ROACHDALE -- North Putnam's girls' soccer team scored the first and last goals of their match against Southmont Thursday night.

Sandwiched between them, however, was a pair of Mountie goals that saw the match end in a 2-2 draw.

Cougar senior Cayla Kientz opened the scoring within the first five minutes before the Southmont defense had a chance to settle into the match.

After a solid opening spell for North Putnam, Southmont leveled the scores with 15 minutes to go in the first half.

After a free kick was awarded from a handball, Mountie forward Hannah Peacock smashed a 25-yard rocket off the underside of the crossbar and over the line for a 1-1 score.

The Mounties took the lead into halftime after scoring two minutes later.

Peacock assisted senior Chelsea Wirth, who slid her shot past goalkeeper Claire Sims to give the Mounties a 2-1 advantage.

North Putnam's first chance to tie came 14 minutes into the second half when Kientz hit a 30-yard effort that was tipped around the post.

After a sustained period of pressure, the Cougars drew level through Kientz.

She started the move by swinging the ball wide to Autumn Wolf, whose cross was blocked into the path of Ally Birchman.

Birchman took a moment before passing back to Kientz, who dribbled inside the Southmont penalty area and dispatched her shot into the back of the net.

The game soon began to get scrappy as both sides looked for a winning goal, though the closest either side came was a shot from Wirth that was easily saved by Sims.

Afterwards, North Putnam head coach Willie Gaskins said the squad wasn't quite settled in their own game plan.

"After the goal, we played slow in the first half and had to rely on the second half to get back into the game. We needed to play our game instead of playing theirs," Gaskins said.

"Our second half was better but it still wasn't where we needed it to be for the teams we play against down the road.

"We had to rely on Claire Sims and the defense to make stops. Tonight was a big win for them," Gaskins added.

Gaskins said the squad needed to be ready from the start for the matches that come next week.

"We just need to focus, when we're down on the field, on the game. We have to focus on speed, intensity, crisp passes, good offense and working together as one," he said.

"If we do that, we'll be contenders in every game we play."

At North Putnam

North Putnam -- 2

Southmont -- 2

First Half

35:00 -- Kientz (1-0)

15:45 -- Peacock (1-1)

14:20 -- Wirth (1-2)

Second Half

21:25 -- Kientz (2-2)

Next match -- North Putnam hosts Danville next Monday.