Highline women’s soccer tallied their first loss, but bounced back against the Gators, keeping them one game out of first in the NWAC West.
Last Wednesday, previously undefeated Highline fell to Clark College with a final score of 1-0. Both teams had 8 shots on goal but Highline struggled to net a ball.
Clark freshman, Chloe Klappholz scored the sole goal of the game at 4:00 in the first period.
Due to the loss, Highline dropped from first to second in the NWAC West at 6-1-2 overall.
The team learned a good lesson to build on for the remainder of the season, said Highline Head Coach Thomas Moore.
“We hopefully learned that you can’t wait and see how things go in big games. You have to go out and set the tone, and have an intense mindset from the beginning of the game,” said Moore.
On Saturday, Highline turned around to beat Green River 1-0. Thunderbird Isabelle White scored the winning goal with 81:00 in the second period.
Despite last week’s loss, Highline remains a top team in the league. On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Highline ranked fourth on the NWAC Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll.
“I think we’ve done a good job of priding ourselves on not giving many opportunities to our opponents. We decided early on that we wanted to be disciplined in defense this season, and to this point it’s showing,” said Moore.
The Thunderbirds lead the NWAC with 8 game shutouts. A shutout is a game in which one team prevents opponents from scoring any points.
Highline goalkeeper Rylee Wood is second in the NWAC for save percentage with .963.
“Our defensive back line and goalkeeper have done a great job stepping up to the challenges that we’ve placed upon them,” said Moore.
Rolling into the latter half of the season, Highline is managing their injuries so as to compete at the level needed for success, said Moore.
“It’s always a challenge when you play teams for the second time. They know you, and you have a good idea about them. It comes down to that competitive edge and mindset that sets teams apart in the later games of the season,” said Moore.
The Lady T-Birds traveled to Grays Harbor on Wednesday at 5 p.m., with results unavailable at press time.
Highline will face the first in the West, Lower Columbia at the Starfire Field on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.