In their first Ozark Conference game of the season, the Lady Zizzers fell to the Lebanon Yellowjackets 3-0. Lebanon was able to control the play for a majority of the game. The Lady Zizzers managed to counter-attack here and there, but struggled to get scoring chances in the final third of the field. The game remained scoreless until the 17th minute, when Cassie Wood played a ball in that rebounded off Lady Zizzer Goalkeeper, Jamie Brassfield, and bounced into the front of the goal. Brianna Ragains was there to finish it off for a 1-0 Lebanon lead. Late in the half, West Plains had it’s best scoring chances. Michelle Esterle fired a shot just wide from 20 yards out. Just as the half was ending, Esterle made a run into the box before being knocked off the ball as the whistle blew. The halftime score was 1-0 Lebanon.
In the ninth minute of the second half, Emily Boyer’s pass found Hanna Winkel streaking down the left side. Winkel made a move around Brassfield and put the ball into the open net for a 2-0 Lebanonn lead. Lebanon would finish the scoring in the 34th minute of the half. This time, Ragains found Chelsea LeFors who buried her shot for the 3-0 win.
Despite the score, West Plains made some improvements in their play from earlier games. We were able to move the ball at times when we got it on the ground. Defensively things are improving. Jamie Brassfield made 3 great saves, tipping 2 balls over the crossbar and laying out to push a ball wide that was headed for the far corner. Comunication is improving. We still need to be more aggressive getting balls out of the air, but overall, it was an okay performance. With the loss, West plains falls to 1-3-0 on the season and 0-1-0 in the Ozark Conference. LEbanon improves to 4-1-0 and 2-0-0 in th eOzark Conference.
In JV action prior to the Varsity game, Lebanon defeated West Plains 1-0. The game was a huge improvement for the Lady Zizzer JV who was playing only there second game of the season. The girls did a much better job of defending and moved the ball much better. It was very evident that they were trying to do things right. The Lebanon goal came about midway through the first half as a clearance attempt went right to a Lebanon player inside the 18 yard box. The resulting shot found the back of the net for the game’s only goal. The Lady Zizzer JV record falls to 0-2-0 on the season.
Next up are games scheduled at Joplin on Thursday, weather permitting. The next Home Game is Friday, Varsity Only against Greenwood at 5:00pm