Keeping possession

Nin Way had Jay County’s number last season.

Her four goals led Heritage to a pair of one-goal victories.

With an early score Thursday, it seemed Heritage might be fine without their first-team All-Allen County Athletic Conference forward, who is now at Indiana Tech.

The second half, though, belonged to JCHS.

The Jay County High School girls soccer team broke a three-game losing streak to the Heritage Patriots with a 4-1 victory in their first game on the new artificial turf at Harold E. Schutz Memorial Stadium.

In 2023, Jay County’s first two games of the season resulted in 1-0 and 3-2 losses to Heritage, with Way scoring all four goals. In 2022, JCHS dropped its sole game to Heritage 4-3 in overtime. (Way scored one goal with two assists, while Libby Cain scored three.)

“Comparing it to our games last year, losing by one goal each time, it felt nice,” said JCHS coach Kendra Muhlenkamp. “I think that the girls felt finally rewarded for their efforts in and out of the game.”

While Way went on her way, Cain is still around for Heritage (0-2, 0-1 ACAC). The senior played a key role early.

Heritage immediately attacked Jay County’s defenders, who were unable to clear the ball from their half of the field initially. After a throw-in, Cain passed the ball from the middle of the field to Rosalinda Medina on the right. The junior kicked an arcing shot that just got past the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Maleah Parsons to put Heritage up 1-0 after only 1 minute, 38 seconds.

“They scored on us right away and caught us slacking,” Muhlenkamp said. “We can’t start a game that way. It gives them the momentum and the confidence.”

While the first two minutes implied Heritage would control the game, Jay County (2-0, 1-0 ACAC) quickly took over control.

Once Jay County got the ball it rarely relinquished possession, as Heritage only got the across midfield four times in the remainder of the first half.

Jay County took 22 shots in the first half, but struggled to score. Despite controlling possession of the ball, it took 33 minutes for its first score.

Jay County senior Jayla Huelskamp started the scoring play with a shot attempt, but got stuffed by a Heritage defender. Aixa Lopez followed it up with a shot of her own that goalie Taylynn Mort saved, but Huelskamp continued to crash the goal, giving her the opportunity to put the ball away for the tie with 6:22 remaining.

“I just ran towards the goal,” Huelskamp said. “I’d seen the ball and just tried to put a body on it to get it in the net.

“After that goal we knew we could keep up with them and could definitely take the win.”

Unfortunately for Jay County, soon after the score, it lost a key defender in Emma Hatzell to an injury. Both Muhlenkamp and Huelskamp cited the injury as something the Patriots rallied around in the second half.

Jay County got more efficient in the second half. After scoring once on 22 shots in the first half, it found the net three times on 11 attempts after the intermission.

“We kept setting the ball from half field to inside 15 yards,” Muhlenkamp said. “I explained to the girls that we’ve got to be patient in the center of the field and get our pass right, or else it becomes too cluttered. …

“Just making them think about why you’re going to a space, if you need to fill a space and keeping the ball ahead of us but not being afraid to drop it and slow down a little bit.”

It didn’t take long for Jay County to turn things around in the second half. Lopez gave JCHS a 2-1 lead after 3:24 after shooting from 15-yards out.

Later, freshman London Lloyd scored her first career goal by beating a 2-on-1 with a drive right and a shot to the left half of the goal with 23:55 remaining.

The final score came from Morgan DeHoff on a shot assisted by Kady Allred with 8:38 remaining.

The defense also held tough despite the loss of Hatzell.

“I was talking to them really good,” said Parsons about how the defense locked up Heritage. “At the end, Tessa (Frazee) had a really good kick to save the ball when I wasn’t there. …

“It’s gone great.”

Parsons finished the game with six saves, while Frazee had one. Frazee’s save came at 1:38, when she had to run toward the goal to kick the ball out after Parson’s saved an initial shot.

Junior varsity

Jay County clobbered Heritage in a game that lasted only one half for a 7-0 victory.

Lloyd dominated the offensive action with three goals for JCHS (2-0). Brilyn Wilmore found the net twice, while Allred and Finley Hatzell each scored once. Parsons assisted one of the goals.

Raylin Hummer patrolled the goal, saving three shots.