By Darren Lum

Published May 22 2018

A blustery day proved to be a major factor for both sides in a scoreless draw between the visiting Fenelon Falls Falcons and the host Red Hawks senior girls’ soccer squad.
First place was on the line for the Hawks who came into play 2-1-0 against the Falcons looking to reach .500 on Monday May 14 in Haliburton at the Gary G. Brohman Athletic field.
The strong winds blowing out to Head Lake proved to give a great assist for both teams which neither could capitalize on during their halves. With a wind-assisted first half the Falcons used the advantage to get deep into the Hawks’ zone and force the Hawks’ goalkeeper to make a couple of strong saves. When the Hawks had the advantage they used it to control the majority of play and had several scoring chances.

Hawks coach Amy Klose agreed the wind was a challenge and was contributor to the slow start.
“The wind was actually a huge factor. We struggled to clear the ball defensively throughout the first half. With the wind advantage we were able to get the ball to our mid-fielders and implement our passing game” Klose said.
In addition to the wind the Falcons played a style that restricted any offensive flow for the Hawks.
“We’ve been working on the girls having the confidence to carry the ball in the central zone and through the wings. Now we need to work on finding the precise moment to send the ball to open space” she wrote. “FFSS played the offsides well leaving our forwards with very little room to organize themselves. They also had a lot of speed on their defence which hindered Natalya Gimon who has scored six goals for us this season.”

Klose called this a “solid game” for her team who entered play with two straight wins (6-0 over St. Thomas and 5-2 over Brock).
“We’ve been working on getting to the ball first in order to capitalize on our passing game. The girls showed improvement in this area. They played a strong disciplined game” she wrote in an email.
Klose said back-fielder Arden Harrop and goalkeeper Chloe Samson played their best games of the season. She pointed out Samson was nursing a pre-game injury taping her hand for the game.
The tie put the Hawks in a three-way tie for first place in the Kawartha West division with Lindsay Collegiate Vocational Institute and I. E. Weldon Secondary School who both have a game left to play.
Klose said the Hawks are preparing to play Campbellford to open their playoffs.