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Bower, Puhalla power Fitch
Photo
Fitch’s Maddy Miller (23) uses her head to keep the ball away from Struthers’ Nicole Johnson (8) during their soccer match Wednesday at Fitch High School in Austintown. The Falcons dominated the Wildcats, 11-0.
Bower, Puhalla power Fitch
By Ryan Buck
AUSTINTOWN
The Austintown Fitch girls soccer team made its All-American Conference debut in 2011 and the Falcons wound up in the middle of the pack. Fitch hopes to improve its fortunes this season and showed its potential Wednesday night.
Junior forward Lauren Bower and freshman forward Kaelyn Puhalla produced hat tricks as the Falcons dispatched the overmatched Struthers Wildcats, 11-0, at Fitch Falcon Stadium.
Bower burned the Wildcats (1-2) for two first-half goals. The first came less than five minutes into the game when Krista Martin’s deft touch pass left her open to strike inside the 18-yard box for a 1-0 lead.
“With her [Bower] speed you almost can’t mark her tight, because she’s so quick going left- to- right and she can shoot with both feet,” said second-year Fitch coach Tex Martin.
Puhalla scored her first goal at the 21:05 mark. Midfielder Jayme Ritchie gave the Falcons (3-1-1) a 3-0 advantage with 12 minutes left in the half.
Struthers was no match for the Fitch midfielders, who retained possession for much of the game. The Wildcats managed only two first-half shots compared to the Falcons’ 12.
“I think we have a very explosive attack,” Martin said. “I think tonight was a little bit too much for Struthers to handle once we started getting into rhythm and being able to get the balls to our target players up front.”
With time running out in the first half, Megan Shonce fed Bower with a pass leading her toward the Struthers goal 35 yards away. Once clear of the last defender, Bower cut to the middle of the field and drilled a right-footed shot past Struthers goalie Rachael Leonard for a 4-0 lead.
Bower’s speed is an asset.
“I run the 100 meter hurdles and some relays,” said Bower, who starred for Fitch’s track team last spring. “It helps on breakaways mostly. It’s just easier to beat that last defender and have a nice shot on goal. You have more room with speed.”
Bower’s third goal came 10 minutes into the second half when she directed a corner kick past Struthers’ backup goalkeeper Kara Whitman to complete her first three-goal performance.
Puhalla, who also has an extra gear, took off with two goals in the second half. The first-year starter has had no trouble getting acclimated to life on the varsity.
“They’ve been really nice to me,” Puhalla said of her older teammates. “They haven’t been mean like, “Oh you’re a freshman, you’re taking my spot.’ ”
Maddy Miller, Mandi Koch, Justine Phillips and Shonce all added goals in the second half.
Leonard made nine first-half saves for the Wildcats. Whitman made seven saves in the second half.