POLAND — A spread-out attack led Poland to a victory Saturday morning.
The shorthanded Knights had four players score in a 4-0 win in a Class B South girls soccer game that featured periods of steady rain.
Jillian Barnes only needed four saves for the clean sheet for Poland (2-8-1).
Captain Thea Thornton said the win would help with the team’s confidence.
“It’s really big because we have a lot of injuries on the team right now,” Thornton said. “The motivation is really good for us to win and have the girls who are injured feel good about coming back and stuff.”
Knights coach Juan Bustamante said Poland lost three starters before the season and another player in the first game of the season.
He believes the Knights are better than their record indicates.
“We have been playing well,” Bustamante said. “We have been keeping the ball on the ground and playing as a team a lot better. We have been in competitive games.”
Six of the Knights’ losses have been by two goals or less.
Oak Hill (1-8) coach Jeremy Young said the Raiders are a young team looking to find some momentum.
“We are in a situation where we are putting some pieces together and figuring out some different things,” Young said. “We are young in areas and we are looking to jell again.”
Both teams couldn’t create a scoring opportunity on their respective first corner attempt of the game.
Tihan Jones put the Knights on the board in the sixth minute when she received a through ball from Thornton as she sprinted past Oak Hill’s back line at the 25-yard line for a breakaway and her shot in the 18-yard box beat Oak Hill goalie MacKenzie Vattaso.
Jones has also been battling an injury.
Thornton said the Knights have been working on those passes that give teammates a breakaway.
“In the past, we have had a hard time staying onside, so we have been working on that,” Thornton said.
In the following 15 minutes, the teams battled around the sidelines and had trouble getting the ball into the box.
Poland took control past the midway point of the first half when Thornton’s cross went wide of the net, but shortly after, freshman Phoebe Paradis chipped the ball over Vattaso (11 saves) for a 2-0 advantage in the 23rd minute. Elsa Anderson-Maher had the assist.
Late in the first half, Graceyn Camire nearly chipped in a goal for Poland, and Alaina Hamlin’s low boot got stopped by Vattaso right at the goal line.
Carlee Austin had an early chance in the second half for Oak Hill, but Barnes made a diving stop. Austin had another opportunity in the 12th minute of the period when she ran deep into the box, but Barnes made a point-blank save to keep the shutout intact.
“We had some decent shots here and there, decent attempts to get shots off,” Young said. “Give credit to their goalie coming out just in the nick of time. I thought we would have one or two there. They closed on us well.”
A minute later, Olivia Austin had a long-distance shot go wide for Poland.
Fullback Gretchyn Paradis put the Knights on top 3-0 when her shot into the box sailed into the cage from 25 yards out on a direct kick in the 16th minute.
Gretchyn Paradis, another captain, said she has no problem taking the direct kick.
“I take a lot of them,” Gretchyn said. “If I can’t get it to the goal, I chip it over because I know my teammates will be crashing (the net).”
Olivia Austin scored when she stayed onside in the box as she received a pass, then beat Vattaso for a 4-0 advantage. Hamlin had the assist.
It was Austin’s first varsity tally.
“She just asked me if she had to play striker,” Bustamante said of Austin. “I said, ‘Yeah.’ I got girls injured, girls came out and I moved her up there. Alaina Hamlin had a beautiful assist.”
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