TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR

The Merrill Lady Jays hosted the Wausau East Lumberjacks last Thursday, April 28, 2022, for a tight high-energy soccer match.

“Our best game of the season by far, and I’d say we were tremendously unlucky to come out of the game with a loss,” said Kyle Hahn, Merrill Girls Varsity Soccer Head Coach. “The girls played quick and aggressive from kickoff, and Alayna Boyd enjoyed blazing past East’s defenders all night long. We held them scoreless in the first 40 (a first for our group this season) and had a couple of good chances saved by their goalkeeper to keep things square heading into half.”

“During the break, we discussed needing to sustain, and even ramp up, our energy in the second half,” he said. “Unfortunately, East capitalized off a shot from distance that took an awkward bounce right before it got to Anna Bowe short of five minutes into the second half. However, the game never looked out of reach for us.”

“Even being a goal down with 30 seconds left, our girls were pushing for opportunities and pinning East back,” Hahn said. “While we’re never satisfied with a loss, there were a lot of great takeaways from this game that can serve as a blueprint for us through the rest of the season.
Merrill took 5 shots on goal; all were blocked by Wausau East. East took 8 shots on goal, and Anne Bowe blocked all but that unlucky (for Merrill) one. Corner kicks: Merrill 4/Wausau East 1.

Box Score:
Merrill 0 @ Wausau East 1