Chandler McAlexander prepares to kick the ball as it comes toward her.
Saturday’s Lady Wave soccer match in Incline saw different styles of play from one half to the other.
Fallon lost 3-0 Saturday. Fallon coach Randy Hines said they struggled to find their feet in the first half, giving up two goals. For the second half, though, the Lady Wave picked up the intensity. He said the team’s possession improved and they made several chances to score, though they couldn’t convert.
Hines said Jordan Dahl was a solid leader on defense and noted the other defensive players look up to her. Alexis Jarrett was also commended for her performance in midfield — she has typically played as a forward.
“She is a smart player and we are hoping that moving her to midfield will give us more composure and possession,” Hines said. “Having more possession in the midfield will give us more scoring chances.”
The coach also praised goalkeeper Samantha Hines. He noted that the last two matches have seen 32 shots on goal. For the season, Hines leads the league with 63 saves.
The Lady Wave also traveled to South Tahoe last week, but lost 7-0. Hines said they had trouble playing on Tahoe’s artificial turf field and struggled to keep possession. He added the Lady Vikings did well with passing and had 26 shots on the goal.
“Our defense and goalkeeper was busy all game,” Hines said.
The team is also still short on players. Fallon only has 13 players with six players injured. The coach noted how tough it is to play with only two substitutes, but added they are hoping some players will return this week.
The Lady Wave plays in North Tahoe tonight. During practices the team has been working on possession as well as bringing recovered players “back to game shape.”
As the team moves into the second half of the season, Hines said things will get busy for them. The Wave plays six regular season matches in 14 days. The coach said the Wave needs to be better prepared for the competition the second time around. He added Fallon has been “a second half team all season” and they need to maintain intensity from start to finish.
“If we can do that the remainder of the season we will have success,” Hines said.
