Delta College Hangs on to Win in the Second Half
The game was played well by both teams, and it was definitely a game of two halves.
Delta possessed the ball better in the first half, and exploited weaknesses in the Jackson defense. Kelly Schiefer drove the ball deep, and found DruAnne Brogren open in the middle of the goal for the first score. Gabrielle Sake continued the scoring action by sending a well placed ball to Amy Freed who beat the defenders and keeper to make it 2-0. Amy and Gabrielle combined to send the ball to Jessica Hegenauer who calmly placed the ball in the back of the net. This gave Delta a solid 3 goal lead going into halftime. Coach Stenglein stated, "I was extremely pleased with the control style of play we used in the first half, and their commitment to find open players." Assistant Coach Amey felt the ladies had a great first half, finding players all over the field, however the second half was a totally different game.
Jackson College started the second half ready to make a comeback. They possessed the ball for much more of the second half than we did. The Pioneers were caught back in their defensive position, finding themselves chasing for periods at a time. Jackson took advantage of their scoring opportunities in the second half, Delta unfortunately was unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Jackson scored their first goal in the 50th minute of the game. Their second score came from a 30 yard free kick, and was within the last ten minutes of the game.
Coach Stenglein saw the Delta Pioneers dig deep and find a way to slow down the momentum Jackson was building. Stengleing states, "the last three minutes of the game was played with high intensity and was wild." Delta possessed the ball to finish the game up 3-2.
Stenglein stated, "I'm very happy with this critical win, however it certainly highlighted some areas that will need immediate work as we continue to see talented teams." Delta will look to take their 2 - 0 record to Saginaw Valley State Univeristy where they will face the women's JV program. Delta hosts Owens Community College on Spetember 13th at 1:00 pm. This match up should be fun to watch with the speedy Owens team coming into town.