Conchs down the Lady Dolphins in preseason soccer
E-Mail this story
Print this story
By BERT BUDDE
Key West's Robyn DeRoche (center) is congratulated by teammate Chloe DeVelasco after scoring a goal in the Conchs' 3-2 victory over Marathon. At left is Jasmine Jones, who later scored the team's third goal
The Key West High School girls soccer team held off Marathon for a 3-2 victory in a preseason game Friday afternoon at Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium. Worn out but still willing, the Conchs then lost Friday night to a strong Westminster Christian team, 5-0.
"The amount of sprinting at the end of the second game after playing in the heat for nearly three hours impressed me," said coach Scott Paul. "Sore, battered and tired, they battled on like warriors the entire game."
Against Marathon, the Conchs scored in three different ways in the first half -- a 35-yard shot by Jennifer Barcenas that soared into the net and over the head of the keeper; a close-in shot by Robyn DeRoche off a drop pass by Chloe DeVelasco; and a running kick-in by Jasmine Jones off a corner kick by Barcenas.
"It was nice to see that we do have some offensive firepower and that it can come from more than one person," Paul said. "Those were impressive goals."
The Dolphins, however, came back in the second half behind freshman Katie Landry, who scored twice against Conch keeper Jess Bodmer. Landry's second goal came with 20 minutes left in the game.
Marathon kept up the pressure, but Bodmer preserved the victory by stopping a shot by Jasmine De La Cruz just before the final whistle.
Bodmer had just joined the team following volleyball season. "Jess feels that she's back to square one," Paul said. "She had been off the ball for five months, but she has time to catch up and has the work ethic to do it."
In addition to their scorers, the Conchs also got strong games from sweeper Eva Hooten, who in the first half raced to make a save after Bodmer had came out of the net, and defender Rachel Quad, who, Paul said, "worked like she had boundless energy from start to finish."
Marathon stayed close despite having four seventh-graders on its roster.
"I was more than happy," said coach Lynn Landry. "It was like a tale of two games."
Lady Dolphins fall to Westminster Warriors
A worn-out Dolphins squad lost 4-0 Saturday to the same Warriors team that beat Key West Friday.
"We were just dog tired because we just got some kids rolled in from other sports and they don't have their legs under them," coach Landry said. "Overall, I felt like we did OK."
Landry singled out De La Cruz and junior Michelle McKenna for their efforts versus a solid Westminster team. "Jasmine ... played her heart out Friday and Saturday. She's definitely matured and will be a force," he said. "Michelle, she's a junior; she's doing everything she should to lead this team."
Marathon begins its regular season Friday with a home match against University School at the Marathon Community Park at 5 p.m.
Ryan McCarthy contributed to this report.
