JV soccer team battles hard

If there is a story in the Outlaws girls JV soccer season so far, it's the story of doing a lot with a little.

This is a little group of athletes with a little soccer experience, and they have a little trouble avoiding injury. Yet, still they have managed to score a lot of goals and win a lot of games, putting themselves in good position to win first place in their league.

It starts with a solid defensive line, made up of speedy and aggressive players. Sophomore Bethany Bachmeier has been a revelation at the center of the Outlaws' defense. With her ability to sense where the ball will go before it happens, she has interrupted and diffused many opponents' attacks. This game sense, combined with her speed and vocal strength, makes her an effective point of reference for the entire team.

While the defensive line keeps the ball away from the Outlaws' net, the midfield line receives the ball from the defense and transitions to attack. Jenny O'Connor has been a standout player at center midfield, with her ability to bring the ball under control with her leg, to dribble upfield, and to send accurate passes to her teammates in front of her.

She also has a powerful shot, as demonstrated in the Outlaws' 3-2 win over Junction City.

O'Connor's penalty kick stunned everyone and inspired the team to victory, as she buried it just under the crossbar with astonishing force.

The forward line receives the ball from the midfielders and heads toward the goal. It is the forwards' responsibility to finish the momentum that started at the defensive line - to put the ball into the back of the opponents' net.

Chawndra Craig has been particularly faithful in fulfilling this responsibility. With her speed and her tenacity to get up after being knocked down, she seems to be everywhere - a perfect weapon to wreak havoc on the other team's defense. Craig is currently the top goal-scorer for the Outlaws, with five goals in seven games to date.

One highlight from the first half of the season was that come-from-behind victory over Junction City, with goals scored by Madelyn Zadow, Jenny O'Connor, and Marissa Young - all in the second half of the game - to overcome the 0-2 deficit from the first half of the game.

Another highlight was a tense 3-3 tie at Cottage Grove. It was a fierce battle with player-to-player feuds and injuries to cry through and outlast, all fought out on a field that was more like a ridge of grass than a proper playing surface.

The spirit of that game could be summed up in one of its moments - when Outlaw defender Phylicia Landis launched herself from a full sprint into a slide tackle, knocking the ball out of bounds and causing a Cottage Grove player to sail through the air ungracefully. It was a perfectly legal play by Landis, and fantastically aggressive - and it prevented a goal.

So these Outlaw girls have managed to do a lot with a little, as they push through injuries and work hard for each other and keep smiling. They have outscored their opponents 19-15, and their mid-season record stands at four wins, one loss and two ties (4-1-2).

Their next home game will be Thursday, October 17, at 4 p.m., against Cottage Grove. It promises to be a dramatic affair.

The Outlaws are coached by Thomas Draxler.