Bulldogs blank Patriots

The Bulldogs sniffed out any chance the Patriots had at putting together any sort of offense.

They chased down through passes, dominated possession and spent most of the time on offense.

Jay County High School’s girls soccer team couldn’t muster much in the way of any scoring opportunities and played on its defensive half of the field for a majority of the game Thursday in an 8-0 loss to the Celina Bulldogs.

“We kind of came out slow,” said JCHS coach Renae Laux, whose team dips to 3-2 after having its three-game winning streak come to an end. “We were quiet, just all the things you don’t want to do to start a game.”

Celina (4-0-1), which has now outscored its opponents 38-2, opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game when Mia Rolfes found the net on a through ball that deflected off JCHS goalkeeper Tricia Ison.

Makenna Klingshirn netted back-to-back goals eight minutes apart, and Larisa Orick made it 4-0 in the 35th minute. That score held at intermission.

“As far as Celina is concerned, they are a great team,” Laux said. They are really good at that first-touch of controlling a ball even if it’s coming out of the air or on the ground. They are putting it right where they want it to be.

“That is something we’re working on,”

Jay County’s two best chances at scoring came in the first half.

Less than two minutes after the Rolfes goal, Celina was whistled for a hand ball in the 18-yard box. Anhely Montes took the ensuing penalty kick and attempted to go to the left side of the net. Celina keeper Kennedy Henry read the shot the entire way and turned away the attempt.

The second such opportunity was in the 31st minute with the Patriots behind 3-0. Gabi Bilbrey, a freshman, let go a right-footed rocket from about 30 yards out that nailed the crossbar.

Jay County didn’t have many chances after that, and rarely held possession of the ball on the offensive side of midfield in the second half.

“As far as that is concerned, it is frustrating, yes, but it is frustrating for the girls,” Laux said. “That’s who I feel it for. I know they want to do the right thing and do it well. We just need some more time to practice it.”

Emma Minnich put Celina ahead 5-0 just 95 seconds into the second half, and Reilly Cox made it 6-0 14 minutes later. Jena Wilson had the final two goals, including the last one with 1:35 to play.

“You get tired,” Laux said of the toll it takes constantly playing defense. “Everybody gets tired. Fatigue, things start to hurt.

“That’s where the mental game comes into play. That’s where you start to feel you mental toughness and grow that. When you feel like when you don’t have much left you have to find it within yourself to give a little bit more.”