Sedro-Woolley girls soccer defeated Lynden Christian 1-0 after a controversial foul in the 76th minute Tuesday, Sept. 10, during Northwest Conference action at Bender Fields in Lynden.
A Lyncs defender and Cubs forward battled for the ball in the corner when the Cubs player pushed off with her elbow. However, the call was against the Lyncs defender and led to a free kick for the Cubs outside the Lyncs’ box.
Both coaches believed the call was a bit skeptical but the Cubs kept the free kick opportunity. Sedro-Woolley crossed the free kick into the box and Cassandra Schulberg headed it into the back of the net for the goal.
Gallery: Lynden Christian girls soccer falls late to Sedro-Woolley
“These are the ones you want to lose early,” Lyncs coach Brent DeRuyter said. “We started slow in the first half and did not make adjustments until halftime. Once you get into the postseason, you can’t have that.”
In the first half, Lynden Christian took the first shot when Ellie VanLoo headed a corner kick wide right. Sedro-Woolley’s forward split a couple of Lyncs defenders and fired the Cubs’ first shot on net, but the ball rolled into LC keeper Jessa Wynstra’s arms.
Despite having a few shots early, the Lyncs struggled to connect passes, attack the Cubs strikers and create scoring opportunities in the first half.
“We started a little flat but went from flat to frazzled really fast,” DeRuyter said. “We told them at halftime to take a breather and do what you did on Friday at Cashmere. They responded really well and were much more assertive.”
In the 42nd minute, Lynden Christian’s Andi Anderson had an open net after a cross went through the entire defense. However, Anderson missed wide. In the 57th minute, Estela Segel had a breakaway but took too many touches and a Cubs defender stole the ball.
“That’s on us,” DeRuyter said. “We had opportunities but needed to put it away when we have those shots.”
Lynden Christian’s final attempt came in the 69th minute when Nayla Speer fired a shot directly at the goalie. Although the Lyncs lost, DeRuyter is excited for a competitive season.
“This is probably our most competitive group of 31 girls we have ever had,” DeRuyter said. “They are getting after it in training and we have a great core of seniors who are stepping up to the plate. We are energized and it will pay off.”
Lynden Christian (1-1, 0-1 NWC) continues league play when it travels to Mount Vernon (1-0, 0-0 NWC) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
