LVS moving along heading into Florida
The Lady Vikings have shot out of a cannon starting district play with wins over Liberty Christian and All Saints with a combined score of 16-0. Junior, forward Laci Earixson has just completed a hat trick of hat tricks, with 9 goals in the last 3 matches.
Junior, forward Laci Earixson on the last 3 matches:
These last 3 games have been very important for me. All the hard work and training has been pushing me in the right direction. Our team came out very strong to start district. We need to keep it up and work together and harder to keep getting the results we want in order to be 1-0 each game.
Earixson helped the Lady Vikings to a 9-0 win on Monday night on the road at Liberty Christian. The Lady Vikings set the tone early as they got on the board just 2 minutes into the match as Earixson connected with Bella Tankersley. The next goal didn't come until the 22nd minute as Mya Ulloa tucked a ball to the back post from a pass from Avery Hutka. Earixson got on the score sheet again but this time, an assist to Paola Vazquez while Ulloa scored a banger in the bottom corner right after the Vazquez goal. Hutka connected for 2 goals of her own sandwiched by 3 goals by Earixson in between the 2 halves of play.
Head coach, Jay Fitzgerald mentioned, "Liberty is a good team but we have good team cohesion and connecting all the moving parts on and off the field at this moment. I mentioned last week, we have really worked on our leadership from back to front."
Without missing a beat, the Lady Vikings got another early goal against All Saints at home on Wednesday afternoon. Earixson and Ulloa took command combining for 4 goals in the first half, Earixson with 3 of the 4.
The Lady Vikings average over 5 goals a game in the last 11 matches but the most impressive number is giving up only 4 goals which is less then 0.4 goals conceded a game.
Sophomore, goalkeeper Alle Steining leads the way with 7 shutouts but the play of her center backs and overall team defending shows an attention to detail each game that makes it very hard for opponents to score against the Lady Vikings.
Junior, defender Grace Gnatovic on the start of district...
We are on the right path now and it shows with our results from our first two district games, having these two wins will help us focus for next weeks games in Florida. We have to continue to stay focused on the details and the process throughout our season.
Vic Watson, Izzy Van Zanten, and Avery Hutka added to the scoring giving the Lady Vikings a 7-0 district win over the Saints.
The Lady Vikings improve to 2-0-0 in TAPPS 1-6A and 8-0-3 overall.
The Lady Vikings head east on Wednesday in a unique opportunity to host the National Elite Prep Showcase in Florida, which is basically a satellite event from the one the Nolan Catholic Women's Soccer Program has hosted for the past 16th years during the beginning of January in Fort Worth.
NEPS Florida which will take place December 19-21, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida including Nolan Catholic High School, St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage, and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Matches will be played at St. Thomas Aquinas and Columbia High School. The 2020 event will be held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Fitzgerald on NEPS:
This event is one of the best in the country. We have one of the most dynamic high school women's soccer programs in the country so why not host the best showcase in the country. No fewer than 10 plus nationally ranked teams are in action at NEPS. The event has served to set up national title runs each year. Our main program goal is not just a State Championship but to gain national respect by playing the best teams locally, regionally, and nationally. Last year we played 4 California teams, a Florida team, and a team from Minnesota. Just not a lot of programs across the country that do that, it at all.
NEPS was created 17 years ago, formerly called the Nolan Showcase, bringing together the top high school girls soccer programs from around the country. It is a true college showcase for high school soccer. This is where the best come to play. The battle for #1 starts here. Olympians, National team, college and World Cup superstars, National and State champions have all competed in these events throughout the year. Visit our website at nationaleliteprepshowcase.com.