War Eagle win for the SFHS Varsity Girls soccer team
Throw-in for South. The South right defender runs across the field to retrieve the ball for a throw-in. The South defense was able to hold their line throughout the game and prevented the North View team from getting any goals.
March 11, 2021
On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, the South Forsyth High School Varsity Girls soccer team played against the North View High School Titans. The Lady War Eagles were able to go home with a win that night after a tough battle in the evenly matched game.
The game began with North View taking the kick-off. The opponents attempted to work the ball up to the SFHS goal, but the defense was able to steal the ball. SFHS players Sage Smith and Caitlin Foote were able to work the ball up with a one-two play before passing it up to the corner flag on the right of the goal for senior midfielder Ally Bridwell to run upon. Bridwell reached the ball, turned, and took the shot, but the keeper blocked. Despite both teams having similar styles of attack and defense, the SFHS team was able to keep the ball on the Titans’ side for the majority of the game. The Lady War Eagles continued to show great passing with many one-two combos and switching the field, allowing South to maintain dominance over the game.
Around the 20 minute mark, the Titans offense made a breakaway through the South defense, leading to a scramble in the box. The ball bounced back and forth between teams until senior defender Smith was able to clear it.
Shortly after, junior Peyton Goolsby subbed in as forward and immediately made a run up towards the Titans’ goal. This forced the Titan defense to play the ball out of bounds rather than letting Goolsby take the shot, giving South a throw-in. The Titans regained possession and in response, senior South defender, Peyton Burch, made a long run up the field to pressure the ball. This attack forced the Titans to push the ball out again, giving South a corner kick. The Titans played the ball out again, leading to another South corner. This time, the North View keeper caught the ball.
At the 8-minute mark, South had two more corners back-to-back, but the ball didn’t hit the net. The two teams continued to fight for a goal, but the score was still 0-0 when the ref blew the whistle for half time.
I knew that it was going to be a goal scoring opportunity for us… As the defenders are closing in on me and the goalie is coming out I knew it was time to shoot it. I shot the ball and it went in! — Paige Cribben
The second half started off with a bang. Josie Malave, a senior South midfielder, quickly stole the ball from a Titan defender and cut toward the goal. She took the shot, but hit the side of the goal, just barely missing. Malave became alive with energy during this second half, continuing to chase down stray balls and pressure the Titan defense.
At the 35-minute mark, the Titans had an unusual assist from the flag on the corner by South’s goal. The Titans had played the ball too far for their forward to reach, but the ball hit the flag post and remained in bounds. The Titans then took the ball and headed to goal, but South’s defense quickly stole the ball and cleared it.
In response, the Titans worked the ball back up the field and played the ball into the South box for their forward to run onto. The forward dribbled the ball further up and took the shot, but the ball went over the net.
Minutes later, the Titans make another run into the South box, leading to a scramble between both teams for possession. A Titans player finally took a shot, but it went wide.
At the 26-minute mark, the Titans had a free-kick at the midfield line. The kicker played the ball into the South defensive line, and the ball was immediately cleared.
A minute later, Paige Cribben, senior forward for SFHS, received a through-ball between North View’s defense from Emily Crowder, senior South midfielder. Cribben decided to take the shot, shooting the ball into the bottom left corner of the Titans goal from just outside the right of the box, scoring the first goal of the game for South.
Both teams continued to fight until the final whistle. The end score was 1-0 SFHS. The Lady War Eagles were able to work together as a unit for the win. Their practice and dedicated work showed on the field.
Cribben shared her thoughts after the game. “The North View game was definitely a game we needed to win. It was our first game with the whole team attending. We were ready to go out on the field and give it everything we had. From the first whistle blown to start the game to the one to end the game, we gave 110%… That goal gave our team hope. This game wasn’t just any other game, it helped us to realize that we are a good team and made us confident that we will be successful this season.”
Cribben is confident that the Lady War Eagles will continue to grow and succeed. Support the SFHS Varsity Girls soccer team by cheering them on at their next game. Find the roster, game schedule, and more info about the SFHS team here.
