Titans smash through Blazers

MARCH 28, BLAZER STADIUM—

The Blair Blazers were defeated tonight by the Einstein Titans 8-4 in a frustrating game that highlighted the team's inexperience. They had trouble connecting with their passes and recovering ground balls for much of the match, and sorely missed the leadership of injured senior captains Julie Spatz and Diana Frey.

The Blazers had trouble from the beginning, allowing Einstein to take possession after the initial face-off and being unable to clear the ball from their side of the field, until the Titans scored after less than two minutes of play. Minutes later, senior captain Maddie Driskill, returning from a one-game penalty suspension, sprinted up the field past two Einstein defenders to score and tie the game.

However, the Titans followed right back up with a second goal of their own, and scored again in the final minutes of the half to bring the score to 1-3. The Blazers intensified the pressure on the Einstein defense as the half wore down, and made several shots in the final seconds before junior Jessie Hallberlin finally made it in with a second to spare.

The second half began with improved play from both teams, as the ball moved back and forth with no clear advantage to either team until Driskill broke away and scored again to tie the game. After ten minutes of close attempts by both teams to take the lead, the Titans brought the ball deep into Blazer territory and made repeated shots on goal until finally sneaking it in. Clearing the ball was a persistent for the Blazers tonight, as the defense struggled without the anchoring experience of Spatz.

After a brief timeout, the Blazers came out revitalized and tied it up again with a goal by sophomore Helen Anderson. Unfortunately, the team was unable to hold on to the momentum, and the Titans retook the lead ten seconds later before scoring another three goals before the end of the game.

Coach Mike Horne attributed the loss to the team's inexperience, as well as to the incapacitation of two of the four captains, but was still disappointed with the overall outcome. "We're a young team, but we certainly under-performed tonight," he said. "We were playing as eleven individuals instead of a solid unit."

There were, however, some inspiring individual performances. Junior Devon Madison played with aggression and creativity, stepping up to fill the leadership roles left open by injuries. Freshmen Katelyn Luker and Vanessa Hoy also showed promise, with Luker showing a definite improvement in goal over past games and Hoy playing solid at defensive wing, picking up midfield ground balls despite her diminutive size.