On the attack: Panthers rack up three goals, 29 shots in win

     Monticello collected three goals and took a season-high 29 shots on the way to a 3-1 girls soccer victory over West Delaware Monday, May 15 in Monticello.

     The Panthers (2-8) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Sophia Ahlrichs scored on a high, arcing shot over the WD goalkeeper midway through the first half. The second goal came with five minutes left in the first half when Victoria Wallerich dribbled through the WD defense and shot the ball into the left side of the net.

     West Delaware cut the margin to 2-1 about a minute later, and the Panthers led 2-1 at halftime.

     Monticello added an insurance goal with six minutes to play. West Delaware cleared the ball near midfield, but Brianna Koppes launched a long, high shot into the net.

     “The girls played well and had a lot of shots on goal,” Monticello coach Bruce Feuling said. “We ended up substituting players quite often as the heat was a major factor in managing the match.”

     Cassie Gillmore was the Panther goalkeeper.

     McKenna Bell finished with 10 shots for Monticello, Isabel Williams had five, Sophia Ahlrichs and Wallerich had three apiece, Shelby Hicks and Koppes had two each. Taking one shot were Marisa Braford, Cassidy Covington, Lauren Kurt and Jordan Lorenzen.

     On May 18, the Panthers traveled to Vinton-Shellsburg and were handed an 8-0 defeat. V-S scored six goals in the first half, including two in the first 10 minutes, and added a pair in the second session.

     “It was a great night for soccer,” Feuling said. “We had opportunities to score, but did not take advantage of them. Our defense played better in the second half.”

     Gillmore made 13 saves as the Panther goalkeeper. The Panthers had 10 shots, including three by Koppes, two apiece from Bell and Covington, and one each from Megan James,  Hicks and Braford.

     The Panther junior varsity lost to Vinton-Shellsburg by a score of 5-1. Bell’s breakaway goal in the second half accounted for the Monticello scoring. Skyler Postel and Lydia Lange split goaltending duties.