By Kristi McDevitt
Sports Correspondent
There is one quality about the Oxford varsity soccer team that can ‘t be ignored. No matter who they are competing against, or how many goals they are down in a match- these girls never give up.
Last Monday the Ladycats hosted the Brandon Blackhawks. In the first half of play, Brandon scored three goals to put them up 0-3. Oxford was awarded a penalty kick in the first half, but couldn’t convert.
In the second half, Oxford was awarded another penalty kick and it was senior defender Jolene Patterson who put the Ladycats on the board with her first goal of the season. Oxford continued to create scoring opportunities as junior Chelsea McIntosh fed a great pass to sophomore Sam Bono who scored the goal and put Oxford within one. The Ladycats had several opportunities to score in the final minutes of play, but couldn’t get the ball in the goal. Brandon defeated Oxford 3-2.
At Lapeer West on Tuesday, the Ladycats had a lot on the line. Oxford had to break their three game losing streak to secure fourth place in the Flint Metro League. In the first half of play, Oxford riddled the Lapeer West defense and goalkeeper with numerous shots, but couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net.
Oxford’s relentless pursuit of a goal finally broke down the West defenders as Sam Bono received a pass from senior Darci Kujawa. Bono faked out a West defender, sprinted towards the goal and shot the ball in past the shell-shocked goalie putting Oxford on the board first. It was Bono’s 13th goal of the season. In the first half, head coach John Thaler applauded senior Jolene Patterson for her defensive effort. ‘Jolene repeatedly stopped any advancement by West’s offense, which helped Oxford control 75% of the possession,? he said. With Oxford up 1-0 at the start of the second, the Ladycats continued to blast through West’s defense and take shot after shot. West finally scored to tie at 1-1, causing Oxford to turn the intensity up a notch. With seconds ticking away off the clock to end the game, senior Jolene Patterson fed the ball into the box to senior Nicole Bennett. Bennett drilled a shot that went soaring into the back of the net for the game-winning goal. There were only four seconds left on the clock when Bennett scored and Oxford defeated the Panthers 2-1.
To finish up the week’s schedule, Oxford headed to Romeo for their last non-league game in the regular season. The Ladycats came out strong and had four shots on goal in the first ten minutes of the game, but it was Romeo who scored first to go up 1-0 in the game. Oxford didn’t let down and kept the pressure on as senior Christine Fortier fed the ball to sophomore Sam Bono who scored her 14th goal of the season. With the game tied at 1-1 at the start of the second half, Oxford had an opportunity to go up a goal. Freshman Alex Johnson was awarded a penalty kick after taking a hard hit from a Romeo defender. The Romeo keeper came up with a big save on Johnson’s shot, and the Ladycats were turned away empty-handed. Romeo scored again, and Oxford found themselves down 2-1 with time running out. Midway through the second half, junior captain Gena Nelson took a corner kick and the ball found a lunging Christine Fortier, who headed the ball in for a goal. It was Fortier’s 6th goal of the season. The game ended with both teams tied 2-2. Oxford’s record improves to 7-6-3 overall.
With league play ending this week, the Ladycats will head to MHSAA District play where they will host Rochester Stoney Creek on Tuesday, May 31 at 5:30pm.