Howland shuts out AAC rival Poland

By Jon Moffett

Gina Albani and Olivia Nicholas scored goals for the Tigers.

HOWLAND — Despite the cool air Thursday night, the Howland High girls soccer team showed fire.

The Tigers defeated Poland 3-0 in a game that Howland coach Pat Hovance said was all about heart.

“These girls here just find a way to win,” Hovance said. “We’re not blessed with probably the best soccer players, but they play with a lot of heart and they are very gifted athletically.”

Howland took an early lead when junior Gina Albani scored after six minutes of play. Albani added another goal in the first half on a penalty kick with 0:29 seconds remaining.

Albani shot the ball and Poland goalkeeper Stephanie Ciccone dove, grazing the ball with her glove. The ball ricocheted off of Ciccone’s hand and into the goal.

Howland freshman Olivia Nicholas scored with 10:28 left in the game to seal the victory for the Tigers.

“I feel good,” Albani said. “I come down so much and practice extra time. But without my teammates giving me the ball, I couldn’t do it.”

Poland had opportunities to score, but couldn’t find the net. The Bulldogs had nine shots on goal, compared to five for Howland, in the first half.

Poland head coach John Cavalier said he was proud of his team for not giving up.

“I’m very happy with the girls because they didn’t quit,” Cavalier said. “We have a lot of good soccer players on this team, and the season is still young.”

Howland improves their record to 8-0-1 with the only imperfection against Hathaway Brown.

The Bulldogs (4-5) have been struggling to find consistency on the field. Though the team comes out aggressively and “pounds the goal” they haven’t been able to finish, Cavalier said. He added that these games will prepare his team for later in the season.

“I feel that these losses are only going to make us better for the tournaments,” Cavalier said. “They’re not quitters. Good things will happen.”

There were two yellow cards handed out in Thursday’s game, one to each side. Howland’s Lauren Hawes was given a card for incidental pushing. Poland’s Tatum Marucci was given her card when she incidentally took down Howland’s Tyler Nicholas. Nicholas was down for a few seconds, but was able to continue. Nicholas and Marucci shook hands and went on.

“I think it was just her hard play,” Cavalier said. “They both were going for the ball at the same time and it happened; it happens sometimes. She’s not the type of player that would cause something like that; she doesn’t play like that. We don’t play like that.”

jmoffett@vindy.com