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| Jenna Morrissey fires a shot in Friday's loss to South Burlington (all game photos available this week at www.fcsportsonline.com for low cost purchase) |
I anxiously headed to Milton this afternoon to watch the season opener of the team I've been most excited to see this season - The Yellowjacket girls. Milton has been to the last three DII state championship games, getting upset by Harwood last fall. The team lost three huge pieces from last season (sweeper Hannah Fraser, goalie Hillary Turner and midfielder Danielle Hurley) and underwent a coaching change heading in to this one. Everyone else was back for one of the top programs in any division in Vermont, and it stands to reason the goal for this squad is still championship or bust.
Milton got off to a hot start, looking every part the contender it's expected to be. Shannon Wells and Samantha Rock wreaked havoc on the Rebel defense in the early going. Wells made a quick habit of sending nearly perfect crosses in to the box toward the always lethal Rock (on pace to become Milton's all time leading goal scorer this season). Brooke Phillips and Maddie Loucy were right in on the action; Phillips joined in the creation of multiple early scoring chances and Loucy moved at 100 mph, never allowing South Burlington to create rhythm. 24 minutes in, Rock finally flicked a perfect shot into the goal and put Milton ahead 1-0.
Unfortunately, things soon moved downhill for Milton. SBHS missed a couple of easy shots in the final 10 minutes of the first half and picked up some much needed momentum before halftime. The Rebels capitalized on that momentum and tied the game just three minutes in to the second, suddenly Milton was on its heels. The Yellowjackets looked an entirely different team from the one I'd expected and had seen for the first 30 minutes. It looked a little lost, and totally lacking the swagger which has defined this team for years. There was no one player to put the blame on, 11 girls with tremendous talent at times looked like they were playing together for the first time. SBHS scored again on a penalty kick and added a dagger with three minutes left.
New coach Corey Payson hinted that the preseason shortened by one week from years past had much to do with that. I tend to agree with him. What I saw today won't be repeated in a few weeks. Jenna Morrissey will take total control of the field and dominate play for extended periods of time. Midfielder Gina Abbiati is most effective as an all out warrior, and she is clearly still not 100% after a serious offseason knee injury. She'll soon be back to her complete self and will be a force to be reckoned with (her superb long-distance passing still seems to be there though). Emma Stinson will find more opportunities to get involved often, she still showed signs of excellent chemistry with her teammates when she has the ball at her feet. Loucy will learn to pace herself and will be as effective for two halves in other games as she was for one today. This team will look more like a team soon enough, and hopefully the few minutes I saw of "kick and run" soccer today will be the last for the Yellowjackets.
Payson saw plenty of positives today, and he saw correctly. Milton was up a division, playing one of the bigger schools in DI. Tests like South Burlington will pay big dividends come November. Sophomore Addison Wennar looked wonderful at sweeper, the void left by Fraser's graduation won't be noticed long. Bethany Berger looked strong for the most part in goal, and will do a fine job of filling Turner's cleats.
The biggest disappointment for me in this game was the lack of swagger Milton had. What hooked me to this team last season was the way the players carried themselves before, during and after games. They looked confident nearly all the time last season, they were a unit and trusted eachother. I didn't see that today, but after talking to Payson, I have plenty of faith I'll see it soon enough.
Everyone else on Milton's schedule, consider yourself warned. You don't want to be looking across the field at these girls when they finally hit full speed.
**Full game report will be available in 9-12 edition of the St. Albans Messenger**
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