Cougars win streak ends with 8-0 loss to Warriors

North Putnam junior Megan Plessinger clears the ball out of the Cougars' zone during Tuesday's game against Danville. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

ROACHDALE -- The North Putnam girls' soccer team won a pair of games in dominant fashion last week but it ran into an overwhelming opponent on Tuesday. The Cougars lost to Danville 8-0.

The loss drops North Putnam to 3-2 for the season.

"When we play Danville I tell the girls it's going to be a tough game, of course" NPHS coach Willie Gaskins said, "but we play our game. We play defense."

The Braves were constantly on the attack. Led by highly-skilled junior Stephanie Burdsall, Danville attempted 20 shots on net.

North Putnam sophomore keeper Claire Sims stopped 12 of them.

"When I prepare for Danville, I prepare for defense," Gaskins said. "Without our defense tonight, it could have been really ugly. ... Claire played a phenomenal game with what she was against, and she was against a very tough opponent."

The Cougars had hoped to keep the momentum going from last week but the chemistry and skill of the Warriors was to much to handle.

Gaskins said that comes from a solid youth program and a life of playing soccer together.

"In Danville they literally start when they're three years old," he said. "These girls have probably played together most of their lives, if not all of their lives and they outskilled us.

"They play 12 years together, they know how each other thinks and they don't have to even call it out, whereas we have girls that have played together for three or four years at the most. It's just one of those things where, to compete with a school of Danville's size and competitiveness we have to develop a younger program."

North Putnam will try to get back in the win column on Thursday when it hosts Terre Haute South at 5:30 p.m.