No. 4 Washington outlasts Central women’s soccer squad
Central College
PELLA — For the second straight season, No. 4-ranked Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) pitched a shutout against the Central College women’s soccer team Monday, yet coach Mike Kobylinski saw a difference beyond the scoreline.
But while the Dutch (1-1) had a couple of surprising scoring chances in the first 10 minutes, Washington-St. Louis (3-0) quickly regained its footing and capped a three-game, five-day road swing with a 3-0 victory.
“We definitely gave them a game this year,” Kobylinski said. “We convert those first two shots and it might be different.”
The statistics were still tilted heavily towards the Bears. They outshot Central 29-7, including a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal. They led in corner kicks, 5-1.
“What the game showed was that we can play with the best in the country,” Kobylinski said. “Yes, they outshot us, yes, they had more corner kicks. But this was a totally different game than last year (a 5-0 loss in St. Louis).”
Washington-St. Louis broke on top on an early cross in the sixth minute and added a score on a through ball for a 2-0 lead at intermission. The final goal came with just 1:58 left in the game and many of the starters watching from the sidelines.
But Kobylinski said it was the kind of challenge his team needed, and he liked the way his defense responded.
“The backs did a phenomenal job,” he said. “Liz (Daniels) (senior, Oconomowoc, Wis.), Kayla (Sunvold) (sophomore, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS) and Rachel (Verhun) (freshman, Ann Arbor, Mich., Pioneer HS) were great. Rachel, as a freshman, for her to go against a team like that as well as she did really showed some grit. The whole back line was phenomenal.”
Goalkeeper Sydney Lunardi (sophomore, Bettendorf, Davenport Assumption HS), who didn’t need to make a save in Central’s 4-0 win at Minn.-Morris Saturday, was busier Monday, recording 10 saves.
“Syd made some phenomenal saves and punts today,” Kobylinski said. “Her communication was great, too. She is very solid between the pipes.”
While Washington-St. Louis was likely a little road weary, the Bears appeared a bit fresher in the second half than Central as they used 21 players.
“Washington can go 28 (players) deep,” Kobylinski said. “We’re getting deeper, but we still need to get more depth.”
The Dutch head east for a pair of weekend road games. They’re at Maranatha Baptist (Wis.) Friday at 2 p.m. and North Central (Ill.) Saturday at 2 p.m. Both contests are part of women’s-men’s doubleheaders.
Kobylinski said the same type of defensive effort the Dutch showed Monday will lead to a successful weekend.
“From our goalkeeping position to our forwards, our team shape and pressure was great today,” he said. “That really starts with Liz Daniels, our captain. She showed again that she’s one of the best defenders in the region.”
