By Mike Zummo
Just nine days after taking the field for the first time, and only a single day after getting onto Robinson Field for the first time, the Wallkill girls’ soccer team was on the field for its first game of the 2021 Fall 2 season.
The Panthers got two goals from Lainey Flanagan on Wednesday night on the Robinson Field turf, on their way to a 2-1 win over the Saugerties Sawyers.
“We had a rocky start,” Wallkill coach Kelly Wood said. “Yesterday was the first day few were able to get on our turf because of the snowpack. We’ve been practicing in a parking lot and doing the best we could with the space we had.”
Flanagan, who had been nursing an injury coming into Wednesday’s game, got the Panthers on the board after taking a cross from Ali Degroodt inside the 18, and sending it past Saugerties goalkeeper Gabriella DeSantis for a 1-0 lead.
“We were going to use her sparingly,” Wood said. “But then she decided to stay out. So, it all worked out.”
The Sawyers gave the Panthers a bit of a punch in the mouth 32 seconds into the second half when Makenzie Below tucked her shot inside the left post to tie the game at 1-1.
“I was a little shocked,” Wood said. “I saw it developing, and I was like, ‘oh boy, here they come.’ It didn’t faze the girls, which I was happy about. I thought they were going go get down, but they picked it right back up again.”
Degroodt got a shot off and Flanagan got one off that was saved, but six minutes after the Sawyers tied the game, Flanagan, took a pass from Amy Crowley. Flanagan got passed the Sawyers’ defense and ushed her shot past DeSantis, to give Wallkill the lead.
From there, the Panthers were in holding action, although they had opportunities to add an insurance goal.
No one had more chances in the final 10 minutes than Amy Croweley, who had two shots go wide right, and then bounced a third off the right post.
“I asked her if she went to church on Sunday because I was wondering what happened,” Wood said. “She’s a great kid. She’s a ninth grader that’s playing up because she’s a phenomenal player. She’s going to be fine.”
Nora Serrao made 4 saves and Madelyn Jachimiak had 2.
Soccer, normally played during the September through early November fall season, was postponed in September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rescheduled Fall 2 season is scheduled until April 16.
The short preseason didn’t give local teams much time to prepare, and the number of practices needed for eligibility was shortened to accommodate the shorter season.
“It was brutal,” Wood said. “There was no time for fitness. The minimum practices were reduced so we only had six practices, so it was tough. The turf was snow packed so much that we just got on there a few days ago. So, I broke out some indoor practice cones, and we were just on parking lots. The girls worked hard, but it’s just not the same as getting that spacing on the big open field.”