Sydney Polen's goal lifts Loudonville over Northwestern in girls soccer

Two teams with winning records and stout defenses often a have a soccer match decided by a single goal. And that is exactly what played out in Loudonville Thursday evening when the Redbirds hosted Northwestern in girls soccer.

Sydney Polen’s 146th career goal at the 8:35 mark of the first half was all the Birds needed in a 1-0 victory.

“I knew coming into this game by looking at their record and who they have played, including the scores of their games, it was going to be a tough game,” said Loudonville coach Laurie Weber. “And to be honest this type of game is exactly what we were looking for at this time of year. It is time to get ready for tournaments.”

Huskies control ball for most of first half

The lone goal for Loudonville (9-2-1) came despite Northwestern (7-5) holding a decisive edge in time of possession for most of the initial 40 minutes of action.

“We had possession for most of the game,” said Northwestern assistant coach Johna Gordon. “We possessed the ball very well and it came down to one defensive breakdown and the goal by Polen. We can posses the ball as much as we want, but if we are not mentally there and have one breakdown on defense like where Polen caught us off guard, it can hurt you. And Polen found the back of the net.”

Gordon liked the way the team continued to battle.

“I really like how we played hard and fought to the end,” she said. “It was just hard for us to get anything going (offensively). They were packing the box and we just didn’t hit the back of the net in this game.”

Weber said this is the style of game her team needs to learn from as it prepares for the postseason.

“You are not going to win many tournament games by three or four goals,” she said. “Postseason is going to be tough, defensive games where the other team tries to handle your scorer or your strikers. And you are going to have to figure out how to use everybody out there to get a win.”

“With that in mind, I got everything I could have hoped for out there tonight.”

It was Senior Night for the Redbirds, and Weber had high praise for her five seniors.

“It is good to have that kind of leadership these seniors provide,” lauded Weber. “And the underclassmen are so receptive of what the seniors provide. I’ve got seniors on defense and in the middle and even up front. Just having them spread out all over the field is really a blessing to both me and the team. You just know they are going to be giving the proper directions to everybody.”

Both goalkeepers shine

Both Northwestern goalie AJ Smith and Loudonville keeper Zoey Eades had fantastic games at the net, as each player continually knocked away rockets fired at them.

Smith finished with six saves on 13 Loudonville attempts, but her most impressive save came at the 27:20 mark of the second half when she speared a potential Redbirds goal in the back right corner of the post, keeping it a 1-0 game.

“AJ Smith has been phenomenal for us all season,” said Gordon. “She came into the goalie position last year and this season she has kept us in a lot of games. We all feel very confident with her back there and are all very proud of what she has done for us this season.”

Eades, who finished with nine saves on 11 Huskies attempts, said she love that position.

“I may have a little heart attack at times, but honestly our entire defense played great tonight,” said Eades. “It was amazing and I enjoy every second of this, especially these 1-0 games. I’ve played soccer since I was 3 or 4 and I feel like I know what is going on, so it just felt right to put myself back there.

“Being a goalie is the love of my life honestly. I just want to help everyone see what is going on and help them out. They beat us 5-0 last year and tonight we played a really good game. When you get a shutout, you just want to cry because they are so amazing to be a part of.”

“Zoey is not afraid to tell folks what she thinks,” said Weber. “She’s vocal and just has that soccer experience and knows the game. That is all very helpful.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Defense dominates as Loudonville clips Northwestern in girls soccer