Aberdeen Central had the wind at its back, and the Golden Eagles had the wind in their sails Tuesday evening at Brownell Activities Complex.
Central took advantage of a first-half wind to take a commanding lead and collected a 6-3 Eastern South Dakota Conference girls’ soccer win over Brandon Valley.
The Golden Eagles, now 5-0 on the season, had a strategy going into the game.
“We were looking at the weather before the game and we were like it’s going to stay high and then its going to keep dying down,” said Central senior Brianna Fischer of a strong northerly wind, “so try and get that side first to help us come out more strong.”
That decision paid major dividends as the Golden Eagles produced three goals in the opening 40 minutes.
“They planned that,” said Central coach Kendra Hanley. “They wanted that wind and they got the shots. They’re good at ripping those shots.”
Fischer was ripping shots all game long, finishing with four goals in all, including one in the first 10 minutes to set the tone for the contest.
“I just really work hard,” Fischer said. “I try to do my best, not just for me, but for our whole team.”
A pair of Fischer’s goals came courtesy of her left foot. She said it’s something that she has spent time on.
“I used to not be able to use my left, but I kept working on it,” Fischer said, “so now it’s getting better over time so I can start using it more.”
After a pair of Fischer goals, Espynn Kuhfeld found the back of the net for the final goal of the opening half.
“I knew the goal was ahead of me,” Kuhfeld said, “and I guess you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, so I was just, why not?”
The Golden Eagles were quicker to the ball the entire way, and that speed put major pressure on the Lynx to try and get back on defense.
“We have a handful of girls, when you’re watching … we call it total football,” Hanley said. “We have girls interchanging spots throughout the game, so it’s hard to keep track of who’s where, because they understand the game and they read the game really well. It’s all about filling and making sure we have each other’s back.”
That speed has helped Central to outscored its first five opponents by a whopping margin of 36-4.
“Speed is way higher than it was last year,” Kuhfeld said. “We’re all wanting to go straight to the ball.”
While that speed doesn’t always result directly in a goal, it helps to create other scoring chances.
“It gets us more opportunities to take it down line,” Fischer said, “and if the defender gets to us, getting that corner, because we have good corner-takers and we have people in the box that will head the ball very well.”
Central also received a goal from Chloecherie Heagley in the contest.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles were solid again on defense to prevent a major Brandon Valley comeback.
“I really trust our defense,” Kuhfeld said. “We’ve got a good one.”
Central heads to Yankton on Friday for another ESD game in a battle of undefeated squads. The Golden Eagles have major goals this season and are off to a stellar start.
“Obviously, the goal is to win state, conference, all that,” Kuhfeld said, “and right now we’re on the right track to get there.”
Hanley said the squad has two things in mind every time it takes the pitch.
“It’s play hard and have fun. … That’s what I’m loving seeing,” Hanley said. “They’re playing hard and they’re having fun.”
Brandon Valley 0 2 – 2
Aberdeen Central 3 3 – 6
First half: 1, AC, Brianna Fischer (Keyana Stillman), 9th minute; 2, AC, Fischer (Stillman), 18th minute; 3, AC, Espynn Kuhfeld (Fischer), 38th minute.
Second Half: 4, AC, Fischer (Stillman), 50th minute; 5, BV, Austine Nelson (Alaya Schunke), 55th minute; 6, AC, Chloecherie Heagley (Paige Ewalt), 58th minute; 7, BV, Samantha Stemwedel (Schunke), 69th minute; 8, AC, Fischer, 70th minute.
Shots on Goal: Brandon Valley 7; Aberdeen Central 12.
Goalies: Brandon Valley, Kayla Wooten; Aberdeen Central, Ava Beck (11 saves).
