Soccer team boots Cavaliers

The North Lake Blazers women’s soccer team braved the heat to defeat the Bossier Parish Community College Cavaliers 2-0 on Sept. 2.

The North Lake Blazers controlled the flow of the game, especially during the first half. They attacked the Cavaliers relentlessly in the first half and dictated the tempo of the match. Blazer forwards were able to dribble up the sidelines and then deliver crossing passes to the front of the Cavaliers’ net. Also, the Blazers forced the Cavaliers into giving up many corner kicks. The Blazers were granted many opportunities, but were not able to put the ball into the back of the net.

Bossier Parish did not back down from the slightly more talented Blazers. They fought hard, and earned the respect of Blazer head coach Jim Benedek. “I was impressed in their fighting spirit,” he said.

Under attack by the Blazer onslaught, Bossier repeatedly booted the ball out of bounds, giving them an opportunity to reset their defense. Another interesting ploy earned the respect of Jim Benedek. “They did an offside trap on us, and that was impressive, because that’s how you play against a team that is somewhat better than you are,” he explained.

At the start of the second half, both teams were showing signs of fatigue. In the early stage of the second half, the Cavaliers were still able to play their tricks on the Blazers. Forwards were caught off-sides numerous times by the shorthanded Cavaliers, who had ten players, compared to North Lake’s eleven.

In the middle of the second half, the Blazers used the simplest method to break the trap. The Blazers held on to the ball and charged the trap. During the 60th minute, the Blazers scored their first goal, as forward Tina Dreier broke through the offside trap and let off a cannon shot into the back of the Cavalier net. During the 65th minute of the game, Dreier got loose again behind the Bossier defense, and scored another goal for the Blazers, pushing the score to 2-0.

The Bossier Parish Cavaliers tried to come back, but were shunned by the defense, which had been outstanding all game long. “Any time a defense carries the team, you should be able to win a game if you have a few forwards,” said coach Benedek. After 90 minutes of both teams battling the oppressive heat, the game ended, with a shut-out victory.

Benedek was pleased but was already looking towards the team’s needed improvements during the beginning of the season. He stressed the need for proper team chemistry. “We are still a little bit sketchy on being not completely together as a whole team,” he said. The Blazers have become less sketchy with each game, as on Sept. 13 they defeated conference rival Mountain View, 5-0.

If the Blazers can brave the literal and metaphorical heat on the field, they can handle each other as a unit.