EC Women’s Soccer Optimistic After Close Season-Opening Loss
EUREKA – By the time the lights had been turned out and everyone had exited Reagan Athletic Complex on Friday, EC women's soccer coach Shelby Chrisman-Forza was already in the mood to revisit what she'd just watched.
The Red Devils had just fallen short in a 2-1 double-overtime loss against Alverno in their season opener, conceding the golden goal in the 109th minute of play.
She wanted another look at what went down, so she jumped on the EurekaRedDevils YouTube page and watched the game from beginning to end. As she suspected, and had observed in the moment, there was a lot to like.
Here are few of her quick takeaways from the night:
- Eureka only conceded one corner kick the whole night.
With senior captain Emma Harris sidelined due to injury, the Red Devils back line of Kayla Enochs, Olivia Falls, Michaela Mall and Hope Binder stepped up and provided stingy defense. When Alverno did manage to get behind them, goalkeeper Abby Swope turned away 11 of 13 shots on goal. And whenever Swope and the EC back line deterred Alverno's attackers, they did so without having to panic-clear the ball out of bounds and give away a set piece opportunity. In comparison, Alverno notched 11 corner kicks when the teams met in 2019.
- Eureka connected passes and set up attacks well
In Friday's match, the Red Devils racked up 17 shots, with six coming in the first half, eight in the second, one in the first period of extra time and two in the second period of extra time. Twelve of these were on frame, with freshman Alyssa Bryant and senior Lindsey Johnston each recording four shots on goal and returning leading goal scorer Madison Shines and junior newcomer Daniela Gonzales each getting two.
This was a significant improvement from the average of 4.75 shots per game from last season, but what was more even notable was the way the team set up those shots – by connecting passes between the thirds, moving the ball up the field with patience, and playing into space without over-relying on going over the top.
- Communication & competitive fire
One of the things that pleased Chrisman-Forza the most when she rewatched was how hard her girls played and how well they communicated throughout the match. For 109 minutes, the Red Devils pushed for the result. When they went down a goal early, they rebounded. When the game went to overtime, fatigue set in and cramping occurred, the Red Devils stayed in the game. They communicated on the field and were encouraging to one another. No one got down and no one quit quit. That competitive spirit, Chrisman-Forza says, has carried over from practice.
"They are so competitive in practice now," she said. "It's really fun to watch."
After just coming up short, Eureka will vie for its first win on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Rockford.