So far so good for Meadowdale’s girls soccer team.
The Mavericks have opened the season with a pair of shutout non-league victories over Lynnwood and Glacier Peak, the new school in Snohomish, under new head coach Chris Baldwin.
“I’m definitely pleased with the results so far,” said Baldwin, who previous coached the Meadowdale junior varsity boys team and was an assistant with the Edmonds Community College women’s team. “I’m just trying to get a feel for (how) everyone fits … We’re getting everybody out in the field.”
The defense has been especially stellar under the leadership of goalkeeper Tanya Zicketoose, who is the lone senior on the roster. Senior Ashley Correa, a first-team, all-league midfielder, was not eligible as of last week. Sophomore Hannah Landerholm and junior Carly Holmes have played key defensive roles in the Mavericks’ first two shutouts.
“They’ve been able to keep the ball out of the middle of the field,” Baldwin said. “They’ve been effective. It doesn’t hurt that Tanya has done a great job in goal.”
Junior Abbie Gustafson took over in goal in the second half of the Lynnwood game. Junior forward Julie Fjortoft scored two goals in each of the first two contests.
“She’s definitely an offensive powerhouse,” Baldwin said. “We rotated a couple of other girls to get her some rest. She definitely put the ball in the back of the net the last couple of games.”
Sophomore Erin Wyatt also has played well up front with Fjortoft. Wyatt scored two goals against the Royals.
“She had a beautiful curving ball assist to Julia (in the Glacier Peak game),” Baldwin said.
Other standouts for the Mavericks include sophomore defender Krista Bartkowski, sophomore midfielder Kirsten Burks and sophomore midfielder Shannon Dempsey.
The Mavericks scored early against the Grizzlies, who Baldwin described as a tough team.
“They are definitely a big team. We anticipated a tough match,” he said. “We controlled the game definitely in the first half. I think we held on in the second half.”
The Meadowdale roster is composed of juniors and a large sophomore class. Many play on outside teams, which is a definitely advantage for the Mavericks. Baldwin expects to carry a pair of freshman on varsity.
The early success can be attributed to every player.
“It’s been a team effort,” Baldwin said. “We’re really moving the ball well as a team. The girls are trusting each other.”
The schedule gets a little tougher this week as Meadowdale was scheduled to face Shorewood on Tuesday night and then Kamiak on Thursday.
“We’re definitely getting tested,” Baldwin said. “We’re looking for the girls to have a little more endurance at the end of the game and continue to put goals on the board.”
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