Windham’s U14 girls’ soccer take control against Cape early and maintain lead

Windham eighth grader Neve Ledbetter turns toward the goal
in the second half of Windham Youth Soccer Association's
U14 D1 Green team's game against Cape Elizabeth at
Windham on Sunday, Oct. 3. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
 

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham Youth Soccer Association’s U14 D1 Green team scored early in their game against Cape Elizabeth and that first goal established a momentum that boosted Windham through the entirety of the game.

The Lady Eagles scored three more times to leave Cape lagging behind and kept Windham undefeated with a 4-1 win and a record of 5-0 as WYSA’s U14 D1 Green team hosted Cape Elizabeth on Sunday, Oct. 3.

The Lady Eagles started strong with solid communication and great passing. Early on, many Windham players took several shots at Cape Elizabeth’s goalkeeper.

“The thing that makes them a particularly good team is the fact that they are willing to pass,” said girls’ U14 D1 Green coach Craig Broadbent. “It’s no one individual that makes this team really good, it’s how they work as a team.”

Broadbent said Windham had solid runs all game long and their passing was really precise. They never gave up going after a ball and used their teammates to move the ball from one half of the field to the other.

Windham was aggressive and kept up the pressure for both halves. Windham eighth-grader Marley Jarvais scored on a corner kick during the first half. Eighth grader Kyla Harvie scored next.

Windham had a 2-0 lead at the half.

At the start of the second half, Windham showed excellent defense as they only let one goal get by.

The Lady Eagles remained aggressive until the end of the game. Eighth grader Neve Ledbetter fired the ball in the net.

“I feel like we worked really hard on communicating,” said Ledbetter. “Especially overlaps, something like corners, cheering each other on.”

Ledbetter said runs went well; getting the ball up and passing to certain people as opposed to just kicking it and seeing open space too.

Right before the final buzzer, Windham eighth grader Nola Bryant took a penalty kick and scored.

Bryant said she was a little nervous to take this one, but it felt good when she got the ball past the keeper.

According to Bryant, they always do better as a team when they are communicating, and she thought teamwork and the fact that they made better passes helped contribute to the win. <