By Adam Knoll
The Lady Whippets soccer team continued its chase of McFarland for the top spot in the Rock Valley Conference last week. Whitewater produced two victories, though all it achieved was merely to keep pace and gain better control of the No. 2 spot in the conference.
Last Tuesday, Whitewater dominated Palmyra-Eagle 4-0 to take care of business against a struggling unit. The Whippets started strong, putting three points on the board within the first 20 minutes of play. After that, Whitewater turned the volume down and tried to get out of there without any injury setbacks.
To open the scoring for Whitewater, Melani Martinez put a ball in the back of the net, followed by Holly Hough and then Autumn Bultman. The score was the same after halftime, though Bultman scored her second goal of the evening, producing the final tally for the night. The Whippets shut out Palmyra-Eagle twice this season, by a combined total of 7-0.
Triumphant Senior Night
Last Thursday, the Whippets hosted East Troy for the Senior Night game. Despite the ceremony, East Troy is still a rival and no pushover to boot.
In a turn of events, there was no scoring in the first half as both defenses and goalkeepers kept their areas clean in what looked to be a low scoring showcase.
Coming directly out of halftime, however, Aly Quass found the back of the net in the 44th minute. The game stayed that way until the 72nd minute when East Troy tied the game up.
The two teams continued their spirited play, culminating in an exciting ending which saw a penalty kick by Aly Quass, who had been shoved in the back during a breakaway. The free kick was placed well and found the netting, giving the Whippets a 2-1 victory.
Before the match, the following WHS seniors were recognized: Tanya Aranda, Giorgia Longagnani, Kawita Khrueakhamkaew, Cristina Rodriguez, Olimpia Soto, Karsen Vance, Miros Ayala, Stephanie Brown, Erika Levine and Erin McManaway. They were recognized for their “loyalty and dedication to the program.”
Now, the Whippets stand at 9-2 overall and 8-2 in conference, four points behind McFarland, who remains undefeated. Whitewater will get their shot at McFarland later in the season. Until then, the Whippets were set to travel to Big Foot, Edgerton and Lake Mills this week.
JV squad performs well
On May 10, the Whitewater JV girls soccer team headed to Racine Case to take part in the Case Invite and went 2-0-1 in their three matches.
Whitewater defeated Kenosha Tremper, 4-0, behind three goals from Cristina Rodriguez. Karsen Vance scored the other goal, and assists were dished out by both Olimipia Sota and Alyssa Nelson.
In game two, the Whippets held Wilmot scoreless. Unfortunately, Wilmot also threw a shutout and the game ended in a draw. Both goaltenders were very good throughout the game, keeping both offenses in check.
In game No. 3 however, Whitewater got back on track and defeated Racine Case on goals by Natalia Cuevas and Amanda Kraayvanger.
Much like the varsity squad, the WHS JV soccer team is rolling this season with a 7-3-1 overall record.
