Lady Huskies rip Ravens, 10-0, to even record
The Riverfield Ravens will have few fond memories of their soccer debut at Pawhuska’s Ormand Beach Memorial Stadium.
In their first match ever, the west Tulsa private schoolers arrived here late and went home early. Lady Huskie senior Andie Sweeden scored four goals and sophomore Samantha Lookout chipped in two as PHS won, 10-0, in a contest ended under the mercy rule after 18 minutes of the second half.
Pawhuska battled through 30-degree game-time temperatures to take a 6-0 lead into intermission. Sweeden kicked the first goal in the eighth minute of the match, while Lookout made the final point of the first half and scored the first point of the final half of a half.
The varsity starters of the Lady Huskies played most of the initial 40 minutes and turned things over to the reserves after the break. Freshman midfielder Kyleigh Riebel — one of just two local players to start AND finish the match — booted the game-ending goal with 22:23 left on the clock.
Also scoring for Pawhuska were junior Karissa Hughes and senior Macy Hurd in the first half, and junior Baylee Sutherland and sophomore McKenzie Fortney in the second.
Sophomore Jenna Shulenberger started in goal for the Lady Huskies and freshman Star Sweeden was the PHS keeper in the second half.
Other Pawhuska starters included senior AshleyYoungwolfe, junior Keylee Kirk, junior Sarah Phillippi, sophomore Sidney Sellers, junior Genie Herren,
Also seeing action for the Lady Huskies were: juniors Brittney Summers, Stephanie Clifton, Hannah Horn and Kelsie Laird; sophomores Denver Wahwassuck, Riley Sell and Mary Jo Upchurch, and freshmen Aimee Rippetoe, Jocelen Castillo, Aubrie Walker, Hannah Laughlin, Jordan Kitchel and Sierra Sellers.
The Lady Huskies’ initial triumph of the year came after a disheartening loss Tuesday in the season opener at Glenpool.
LADY WARRIORS 4, LADY HUSKIES 0
Ten months after losing at Glenpool in the 2014 Oklahoma Class 4A soccer playoffs, the Pawhuska girls returned there last week hoping to get some sweet revenge on their Lady Warrior hostesses.
Instead, the Lady Huskies were given a little hair of the dog.
The March 3 kickoff match for the 2015 season was supposed to have been played in the friendly confines of Ormand Beach Memorial Stadium, but lingering effects from a weekend snowstorm forced it to be rescheduled to the unmuddied synthetic field in Glenpool. With most of the key personnel back from their state runners-up squad, the Lady Warriors would have been a formidable foe even if they were on the lunar surface.
Even though they’d had no full-team practices due to an overlap with the recently-concluded PHS basketball campaign (plus the snowstorm), the Lady Huskies kept the match scoreless during the entire first half. Glenpool booted a pair of goals and received credit for two others in notching a 4-0 home triumph.
“It would have ended up 1-0 if we hadn’t made a few careless mistakes,” Pawhuska coach Gio Soliano said.
The Lady Warrior home advantage (which includes an indoor practice facility) received additional boosts from a couple of no-calls.
Glenpool was ranked No. 1 in state 4A when the Lady Huskies lost a 6-0 decision in their May 9 quarterfinals test.
For that contest, Soliano had been serving a suspension from his sideline coaching duties (for a minor rules infraction) and he had been looking forward to the rematch ever since.
The PHS girls finished 11-2 last year with both of their setbacks coming on the road versus teams that were No. 1 in the 4A state ranking and headed for a showdown in the championship match. Verdigris won its fourth straight title by besting Glenpool, 4-2, in the finals.
Pawhuska was scheduled to play Tuesday against the Locust Grove Lady Pirates in the Oologah Tournament. Following next week’s Spring Break, the Lady Huskies will be returning to Oologah for their District 4A-6 opener on Tuesday, March 24.
Exactly one week later, PHS will go back on the road to play the defending six-time state champion Verdigris Lady Cardinals.
