Lady Bulldogs win despite obstacles
Published 6:40 pm Saturday, May 16, 2015
![King’s Fork High School sophomore Paige Summers, No. 9, competes against visiting Oscar Smith High School on Thursday during the Lady Bulldogs’ 2-0 victory. Summers is one of several King’s Fork players who have gained experienced and elevated their games amidst injury and illness on the roster. (Caroline LaMagna photo )](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/05/DSC07817.jpg)
King’s Fork High School sophomore Paige Summers, No. 9, competes against visiting Oscar Smith High School on Thursday during the Lady Bulldogs’ 2-0 victory. Summers is one of several King’s Fork players who have gained experienced and elevated their games amidst injury and illness on the roster. (Caroline LaMagna photo )
The King’s Fork High School girls’ soccer team finished a tumultuous three-games-in-three-days stretch with a 2-0 victory over visiting Oscar Smith High School on Thursday.
“We got improvement from a lot of the players that weren’t necessarily starting early in the season,” Lady Bulldogs coach Mike Marston said.
King’s Fork went undefeated during the trilogy of games, but developments regarding injury and illness made the week a turbulent one for the Lady Bulldogs.
Star sophomore center defender Skylar Wall met with the doctor on Wednesday about her injured ankle, hoping to get cleared for that night’s game against host Tabb High School. Instead, she was told she would be out for another three weeks.
About 20 minutes into the Tabb game, KF star junior center midfielder Logan Montel suffered a concussion and was expected to be out for at least 10 days.
The Lady Bulldogs’ other star center midfielder, sophomore Rebecca Washburn, missed the Tabb game with respiratory issues and struggled in limited minutes against Oscar Smith.
Despite these issues, King’s Fork has kept making additions to its win column.
On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs easily defeated host Heritage High School 9-0. Sophomore Cydney Nichols scored three times, and senior Lindsay Ransome scored twice, while Montel, Washburn, sophomore Alyssa Vick and freshman Hannah Marston each scored once.
King’s Fork faced its toughest challenge of the week on Wednesday against Tabb and prevailed 3-2.
Nichols had already given her team a 2-0 lead when Montel was injured.
Coach Marston said Montel “was in our defense’s penalty box and the other team crossed the ball.” A Lady Tigers player attempting to head the ball instead accidentally headed Montel in the back of the head.
Montel will not be able to return until five days after her symptoms are gone.
“We’re anticipating that she possibly could practice at the end of the week next week,” Marston said.
After Montel went down on Wednesday, Marston scrambled to try to fit the right players in the right positions.
Freshman Ashley Bido moved from Wall’s position on defense to center midfielder, joining Hannah Marston there.
Coach Marston said he did not at all anticipate having to use the two freshmen in such key positions this year.
“They’ve both had to assume tremendous responsibility,” he said, and they have done well.
Nichols finished the game with three goals, getting her third on a penalty kick, five minutes after Montel left the game.
Tabb junior center midfielder Leah Tyson later got her team on the board and added another goal, as well.
“When she scored the second goal, her level of intensity shot through the roof,” Marston said.
Eventually, he moved Nichols back on defense to help contain Tyson.
Ransome had two assists and filled Wall’s position after Bido moved up.
Marston said Tabb was a quality team but was too often unable to connect the last pass before a potential goal, and on defense, they could not get organized quickly enough in the face of a speedy transition.
Nichols scored both of the Lady Bulldogs’ goals on Thursday against Oscar Smith, with assists from Ransome and Hannah Marston.
The game was an opportunity for King’s Fork to develop more of its roster at multiple positions.
Coach Marston said sophomore Paige Summers had a really good second half playing as an outside midfielder, and “Hannah and Ashley looked much more comfortable in center mid.”
Skylar Wall plans to aggressively tackle her physical therapy and hopes to be back at practice before the conference tournament final, the coach said.
“I think, physically, that’s a possibility; it all depends on what the doctor says,” Marston said. “There’s no way she won’t be back for regionals.”
King’s Fork (12-2, 4-0) closes out its regular season on Tuesday against visiting Denbigh High School.