Coach Schonbachler Shares Second Half Soccer Soccer Review

Photo by Maria Wilson: Front (L-R) Chesney Boggess, Anna Gribik, Allison Acey, Abi Frederick, Grace Troese, Julianna Wilson, Raven Cunningham. Middle (L-R) Emily Walsh, Bella Troese, Maddie Baker, Alexis Coull, Alex Leadbetter, Katera Sebastian-Sims, Stephanie Zacherl, Assistant Coach Nicki Glenn. Back (L-R) Head Coach Chris Schonbachler, Olivia Hannold, Delaney McNamara, Jordyn Smith, Mercedes Cunningham.

(By Clarion Area Soccer Head Coach Chris Schonbachler)

The Clarion Area girls soccer team finished off the second half of their season on a positive note, with 5 wins and 4 losses.  Alex Leadbetter paced the Lady Cats with a hat trick in a 6-1 victory at Punxsutawney.  Alexis Coull and Julianna Wilson added a goal each in the win. 

Following a tough 1-0 loss to the Forest Area Lady Fires, the team notched back to back wins against Kane and Ridgway.  Julianna Wilson scored a team high 4 goals against Kane.  Alexis Coull added a pair of goals while Anna Gribik and Alex Leadbetter scored 1 each to earn the team a 9-4 win over Kane. 

At Ridgway, Alexis Coull put up another hat trick in a dominating 1st half.  Leadbetter added a pair and Wilson continued to find the back of the net in a 6-4 victory.  The team suffered a tough loss against the Elk County Catholic Lady Crusaders, a game which saw an injury to starting goalkeeper Chesney Boggess.  Boggess fought through injury most of the 1st half before being replaced by Mercedes Cunningham.  Wilson scored her 1st hat trick, but the Lady Cats could not slow down the ECC offense in a 9-4 loss.

Cunningham remained in goal for the next 2 games against Karns City and Brockway.  The team executed an excellent defensive game plan against the Lady Gremlin’s powerful offense in a 4-0 defeat.  At Brockway the team created multiple scoring chances but could not find the finishing touch.  The Lady Rovers came away with a 2-0 victory. 

The girls next hosted Keystone on their senior night.  Boggess returned to goal and combined with Cunningham in a 8-0 win. Coull added another hat trick while Boggess, Gribik, Leadbetter, and Wilson added 1 goal each.  The final game of the season was a trip to Redbank in what has become one of our biggest rivals.  Wilson started the scoring for Clarion with a rebound tally from a Coull shot off the Lady Bulldog goalkeeper.  Gribik added a penalty kick goal in the second half.  The game remained tied at 2-2 until late in the game when Coull notched her 17th goal of the season to give the Lady Cats a well deserved 3-2 victory.  

Unfortunately, in the end, the team were unable to earn a playoff berth.  They did learn the importance of remaining focused within a game as well as throughout a season in order to earn positive results.  Success in this season will be found in the team’s ability to apply lessons learned as they go forward. 

I, along with assistant coaches Stephanie Zacherl and Nicki Glenn are confident they will do just that.

(Fine Season, Bobcats!!!! Thanks to Coach Schonbachler for the article and to Maria Wilson for the photo!!)