Lady Golden Tigers blanked 2-nil at Mars Hill

The Russellville girls’ soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season on Monday night as the Golden Tigers fell 2-0 on the road at Mars Hill Bible School (2-2).

The weather was less than favorable as Russellville (1-1) traveled to Florence for its first road match of the year. Cold, wet, and windy throughout, the conditions did little to affect Mars Hill’s turf playing surface but may have had an impact on the final scoreline.

The game’s opening goal came in the 21st minute when, in a bit of misfortune for Russellville, a tame shot from a Mars Hill attacking player found its way into the back of the net. Positionally, the Golden Tiger goalkeeper Lya Ramirez had the shot covered but as the ball came in it slipped right through her hands.

“Obviously with the conditions our goalie’s gloves were wet,” said Russellville head coach Dalany Roberts. “I do feel with that first goal in particular the conditions may have played a factor.”

The hosts added their second goal right after halftime, in the 48th minute. Once again Ramirez, shuffling to her right, was able to get her hands to the ball but didn’t have enough punch to send it to safety.

“She’s a phenomenal goalie and she’s been working overtime,” Dalany said of Ramirez, who finished the match with five saves to her credit.

Offensively the Golden Tigers were unable to get much past the stalwart defensive backline of the Panthers and were mostly bottled up inside their own half. The most promising of chances came from a free kick by Keyla Martinez which was heading for the top corner and required a save from the keeper. Gloria Sop also had a look at goal but fizzed the ball wide on a tough shot from a narrow angle.

Despite the outcome, Roberts saw some light shining through in the dreary night. Russellville’s style of play and teamwork in defeat against a solid Mars Hill squad marked an improvement from its season-opening win against Haleyville, Roberts said.

“Our previous game was a 2-0 win but we weren’t playing as a team,” she said. “For me, today, I felt that we moved as a more cohesive unit, we were much more fluid, the communication was better, the chemistry was better, and their mentality was better. I’ll take this style of game even in a loss over the first game.”

“If we’re going to be successful in the long run we have to work as a unit,” Roberts added.

The second year head coach emphasized that her young team is still transitioning and working hard to put itself in a position to be successful on the pitch.

“We’ve had a huge shift of former (junior varsity) players move up to varsity, and with that came filling positions that they may not always be comfortable in,” Roberts said. “We’re learning new positions where we’re going to find that cohesiveness between our players. It’s all still a work in progress.”

Russellville’s project continues on Thursday, Feb. 15 when the Golden Tigers travel to face Florence. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.