The Bulldogs give Blair a nasty bite

Sept. 13, BLAZER STADIUM—

Churchill's dominating ball control and advantageous speed proved invaluable in the Bulldog's 1-0 victory over the Blair varsity girls' soccer team tonight. Despite the Blazers' consistent, solid defense and their fierce offensive drive during the final minutes of the game, Churchill maintained their composure, their lead and a shutout throughout the game.

The lady Blazers put forth a valiant effort against a reputable team, but they could not match Churchill's aggression on offense enough to secure a win. Blair struggled to direct the ball and connect passes, while Churchill maintained possession for most of the game, limiting Blair scoring opportunities. In the first half, the Bulldogs made powerful transitional passes across the field that helped uphold their offensive momentum. Towards the end of the half, Churchill scored a long, lofty shot that was beyond junior goalie Maggie Sullivan's reach, bringing the score to 1-0.

Although Sullivan was unable to block such a challenging shot, she had to make few saves during the game because of the outstanding defense in front of her. Even though Churchill kept the ball on Blair's defensive end for most of the game, the Blazers defense allowed Churchill few direct shots on the Blair goal. In addition to senior sweeper Sophie Esparza, who led the Blazers' on defense by continually intercepting offensive attacks, freshmen Molly Brune also displayed tremendous hustle defensively.

During the most of the game, Churchill, being "a very physical team" according to coach Robert Gibb, kept the Blazers at a comfortable distance because they challenged Blair's offensive runs before the Blazers were within 30 yards of the goal. It wasn't until the final ten minutes of the game that the Blazers finally proved that they have the potential to dominate offensively. "By the end of the game we started clicking - moving the ball more quickly and intensely," says coach Robert Gibb. "Ten more minutes would have made the difference." He explained that once Blair started making more purposeful passes and attacking the goal with more ferocity, they became a serious threat to score.

Unfortunately, the Blazers were unsuccessful in netting a goal, despite their many attempts towards the end of the game. Blair seemed to become increasingly frustrated as the team's scorers continued to miss clutch shots. Junior Danielle Peck, who played aggressively on offense all night and had most of the best chances for Blair, could not manage to get the ball in the net. The Blazers also failed to follow through with the numerous free kicks by Esparza. Senior captain Sarah Rumbaugh rationalized Blair's struggle to finish cleanly, saying "our offense is lacking in experience and ball control - we need to distribute the ball early and rely on our speed,"

Gibb was proud of the effort put forth by all of the players, stating that "this was a good game to build on." He looks forward to facing other contenders that will test Blair's aggression and help the Blazers' prepare for the playoffs, where Gibb hopes see Churchill in a rematch.

The Blazers next game is Tuesday, Sept. 20 at Sherwood at 7:00 p.m.