SOUTH CHINA — The Erskine girls soccer team is hitting its stride at just the right time.
Putting the pressure on early and often, the Eagles cruised to a 6-0 win over Cony on Tuesday afternoon to finish the regular season 10-3-1.
“I think we just have a really good attitude up top and we haven’t been letting down,” senior midfielder Riley Reithchel said.
The Eagles handled the Rams (4-10-0) much in they same way they’ve handled many teams this fall, with relentless offensive pressure. Erskine finished with 34 shots on net, 17 in each half.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Erskine head coach Mike Falla said. “Ever since the Leavitt game (a 1-0 loss on Sept. 30), we’ve been on a good roll all the way up through here and we wanted to end the (regular) season on a good note.”
Erskine jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by Reithchel and Jasmine Crommett.
The Eagles kept the pressure on the second half, with goals by Gabriela Sasse, Sarah Praul, Emma Charest and Emma Fortin.
The offensive effort is something Falla says he hopes continues into the playoffs. Erskine entered the game as the No. 5 seed in the Class B South.
“We’ve been outshooting teams most games,” Falla said. “If we can start converting (shots), being more opportunistic, we’ll be doing just fine in the postseason.”
Erskine Academy’s Sarah Praul (2) takes a shot on goal as Cony defender Kaitlyn Henry closes in during a girls soccer game Tuesday in South China. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
“I feel pretty good going into the playoffs,” Reithchel added. “We’re going off a good winning streak right now and hopefully we keep it up.”
Erskine will take a six-game winning streak into the postseason.
Kylee Huard, who made 17 saves, turned in a strong performance for Cony. Despite the loss, the Rams have enjoyed a turnaround season. Cony entered the game as the No. 9 seed in the Class B North standings.
Cony head coach Jeff Hersey said he’s proud of the team’s effort.
“They’re showing up now with a mindset of ‘we can win any time we step onto a field,’” he said. “We’ve won more games this year, we’re 4-10, this more than we’ve won in the last eight years combined.
“Just watching their fight, and they’re understanding of, ‘we can win.’ We go into every game now thinking, ‘someone is going to have to beat us, because we’re not going to beat ourselves,’” Hersey said. “They legitimately believe every time they step on the field, they’re going to win. It’s an amazing thing.”
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