Youth and experience came together Wednesday evening at Catonsville High as Comet freshman Kolby Weedon scored two goals and her senior teammate Kayla Wood scored a a goal and added an assist in the Comets' 3-0 victory over Loch Raven.
"Those two [Kolby and Kayla] are developing a chemistry," said Catonsville coach Ricky Sanchez, after watching his squad improve to 4-5.
But, the game was not without it's tense moments in the first half for the first-year Catonsville girls soccer coach.
The Comets took a 1-0 lead 4:35 into the game on a goal by Weedon (team-leading six goals, three assists).
The sequence started with a pass from senior Gabriela Colmer to Wood on the right flank.
Wood made a low cross and Weedon deposited it in the onion bag.
Loch Raven (1-7) mounted the pressure after the score and nearly got the equalizer on a free kick by junior Lindsay Lurz with 28 minutes left in the half.
The ball caromed right off the center of the crossbar.
Lurz and sophomore Elyssa Nowowieski had long salvos from outside that were saved by Catonsville goalie Vivian Montgomery-Walsh (12 saves) shortly afterwards, but the most clutch save came on a point-blank shot from inside the box by Nowowieski.
"They've got a couple of really good players," Sanchez said. "That number 23 [Nowowieski] was strong. It's scary that she is a sophomore. We talked about her and what she did in the first half and the opportunities and we had to limit her and what they were doing."
After Sanchez left the halftime huddle, the senior leaders took over.
"Our seniors are great leaders. As I left the huddle at halftime I could hear that," Sanchez "They said, 'We have to close down this space; we have to close down this gap; we need to step up' and from the opening kickoff for the second half we saw that."
As intermittent heavy rain invaded the turf in the second half, the Comet attack penetrated the box repeatedly.
Just 72 seconds into the second half, senior Lea Marshall flicked a ball into the box and Weedon popped it up to Wood, who sidestepped a defender and drilled a shot into the corner for a 2-0 lead.
It was Wood's third goal of the season.
"They were just a little bit faster and a little bit more aggressive in the box, and I think that was the difference in the game," Loch Raven coach Anthony Menegatti said.
The Catonsville defense of Jen Gast, Megan Wall, Emily Delaney and Aubrie Zepp also made it tough for the Raiders to penetrate in the second half.
"Jen was stepping up and Megan Wall was stepping up," Sanchez said. "They were chasing that ball down so they took the initiative."
The Comets continued to pepper Raiders goalie Amethyst Stevens (20 saves) in the second half and they scored their third goal off a set piece on an assist by Gast from 45 yards out.
On one hop, Weedon beat the Raider defense to the ball and headed it home with 26:36 left in the second half.
"I know she [Gast] has a big kick so I kind of saw it coming, but I thought the ref was going to call offsides," Weedon said.
The Comets added shots on goal from Abby Boehl, who had scored three goals in an 8-1 win over Patapsco on Sept. 23, and Zepp, whose shot hit the crossbar.
The closest the Raiders came in the second half came after a pass by Celina Baranoski to Nowowieski, but her off off-balanced shot was corralled by Montgomery-Walsh.
The Comets nearly extended their lead, but Weedon's shot was saved by Stevens and the rebound shot on goal by Alex Sirasky was rejected by Joey Eskey.
Wood and juniors Leah Marshall and Amber Weedon (two) also had shots in the final moments.
"We are trying to learn how to manufacture goals and trying to play as a team and develop a style, and with certain opponents, you've got to play a certain way and as a team we are gradually getting to that point."
Loch Raven is also improving as a team.
"I think it's one of the better games we've played," Menegatti said. "We've had a tough go."