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After the first 40 minutes of play, the public announcer summarized host Marriotts Ridge's first-half goals — Morgan Crable's early score and Zoe Stukenberg' s "assurance" marker — that gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead by halftime.
As it turned out, Stukenberg's goal was an assurance shot, but even she knew it would take more than two goals to handle Glenelg.
E.J. Goldman, Marriotts Ridge's assistant coach subbing for head coach Robin Grey, "Says 2-0 is the most dangerous score in soccer," said Stukenberg, recalling the coach's halftime pep talk. "You get comfortable with a 2-0 lead and just like that" a team like Glenelg can come back.
"I wouldn't call it an assurance goal but it was definitely helpful," Stukenberg added about her goal. "It got the morale up and we needed that, especially against Glenelg. You never know what Glenelg is going to do."
Glenelg did not come back Tuesday evening, and fell to Marriotts Ridge, 4-1, but the Mustangs had to work for every goal, and needed a big performance from keeper Jenna Bergquist to stop Glenelg.
Crable scored unassisted in the first three minutes of play.
"I saw a side pocket and I hit it in. I think it gave us a confidence boost," said Crable. "We missed a lot of shots (27 against Oakland Mills) in our last game so we needed to come out and focus on our shots."
Stukenberg's goal came with about a minute left in the opening half. In between, Glenelg (0-2 in the league, 1-3 overall) had six corners that tested the Mustangs' defense, and three dangerous shots. Bergquist got her fingertips on one, by Samantha Creese about 15 minutes into the game, and brushed the ball over the goal post.
"It keeps your morale up and the intensity up when your keeper makes a play like that," said Goldman.
With about five minutes left in the half, Glenelg's offense sent another shot into the box. It deflected and rolled across the goal mouth before being pushed away by Alexandra McKay, allowing Bergquist a chance to pounce on the ball. "I trust my defense," said Bergquist.
Taylor Hensh and Samantha Terrill scored Marriotts Ridge's second-half goals to seal the team's second county win and third overall. Goldman said Hensh's goal might have been the most important goal, because it took the Mustangs out of that dangerous 2-0 lullaby period.
Kayla Renehan scored for Glenelg with about 12 minutes left on an assist by Taylor Zucco. It's Renehan's second goal of the season. Creese and Kathleen Mensing, who had scored in Glenelg's 2-1 loss to Long Reach in the league opener, created most of Glenelg's offense.
With eight players gone to graduation, Glenelg is rebuilding. "We are a very young team," said Renehan, a sophomore. "We are starting over but we are going to learn. We will play them again (in the playoffs most likely) and we are going to be practicing for them. It's just the beginning and we will get better."
Bouie keeps Reservoir in win column
Paola Rosa beat two defenders on the end line and laid the ball off for Darci Fehr to finish for Reservoir's only goal in a 1-0 win over Centennial.
"We had some quality chances during the first half that we couldn't finish" until Fehr's late goal, said Reservoir's coach Josh Sullivan. "Centennial pretty much had the run of play the entire second half. We really did just hang on there at the end. They were pushing forward and had a ton of momentum but we were able to do just enough to hold on."
Morgan Bouie had eight saves for Reservoir. "She did a great job for us in the second half and really played well. She was in the right position for all of her plays that we needed her for," Sullivan said.
"Tactically, we made a lot of the same mistakes that we have made all season and that is not how we are being coached to play," said Centennial coach Steve Baxter. Reservoir's goal came when Rosa "beat my defender on the end line, dribbled in and hit a sharp pass for a redirect in close to goal. It was well executed."
Centennial, winless in two county games and 0-4-1 overall, had 13 shots at goal in the second half, Baxter said. "Both goalkeepers in the game were a factor."
For Centennial, Lyndsay Davis "made a great diving save to her left in the first half to keep the game scoreless at the time," Baxter said.
