There was a lot of wind and very little offense on Sunday at TRYSA soccer complex in Emporia.
The wind and Central Missouri held Emporia State scoreless for the fourth straight game and Central Missouri scored a wind-aided goal that was enough for a 1-0 win.
“The weather certainly didn’t make it any easier for us,” ESU coach Jim Schneiderhahn said. “I think that we did some good things. Right now we’re just struggling with that final pass. It’s either too much into space or not enough into space or too hard or too soft, and it’s frustrating.
“And I know that the girls feel it and certainly I feel it. You look back at where we’ve been and certainly we’ve gotten better, but it does get tiresome of saying that’s good enough for where we’ve been.”
If there is such thing as a good loss though, this might have been it for the Hornets. The Jennies are ranked sixth in the country and are undefeated in the MIAA.
“I think we played really well,” senior Raquel White said. “Unfortunately, we lost, but at least we didn’t get blown out. We had our chances, but we were unable to finish them.”
Most of the Hornets’ chances came in the first half when they were playing with the wind that came out of the north at 45 miles an hour with gusts up to 50.
The wind was so strong that when UCM goalie Lauren Bamvakais tried to kick a ball that rolled into the box in the first half, the ball went about 30 feet in the air and then turned around like a boomerang and flew back over her head.
“It was difficult to judge the balls at times, but that’s when you really have to keep your head in the game and anticipate where it’s going to go and just follow through everything,” senior Shelley Marsh said. “It made it a little difficult.”
It mostly made it difficult on the offenses, but the Jennies had more chances, out-shooting the Hornets 17-5 and eventually the wind helped the Jennies score in the second half. Melanie Hall took a shot from about 10 yards outside the box that was caught by the wind and floated over the top of ESU goalie Jennifer Stillmock’s reach.
The goal came in the fifth minute of the second half and the Hornets never really had a legitimate chance at a goal the rest of the way, as the Jennies controlled the ball most of the second half playing with the wind.
The loss dropped the Hornets to 2-12-1 and 1-9-1 in the MIAA with four road games remaining on their schedule. The team recognized its four seniors before their final home game.
“It was definitely bittersweet,” Marsh said. “The team made it very special. They decorated the locker room. Coach did a nice little thing. It would have been nice to go out on top, but the girls made it very special and that’s what’s important.”