On Friday afternoon, the Rolla Lady Bulldogs came to town for a Ozark Conference game. Earlier in the week, the West Plains and Rolla had agreed to play the Varsity game first so some Lady Zizzer players could leave for State Choir Competition. It proved to be a good decision. The Varsity game lasted only 50 minutes. 10 minute into the second half of play, lightning delayed the match. A short time later the rain came and made the field unplayable. Because more than one full half had been completed, the game is official and doesn’t have to be rescheduled.
Rolla jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute. Olivia Cox took a pass in the center of the field, weaved around a couple of defenders and placed a shot inside the far post. Rolla continued to apply pressure. In the 11th minute, Ellen Spooner scored off a cross to give Rolla a 2-0 lead. West Plains began to settle in a little bit defensively and was able to prevent any more goals. At the same time, the Lady Zizzers started to connect some passes and move the ball down the field. Although they didn’t have a lot of action in the final third of the field, it was the best ball movement the team has had against Rolla in a number of years. The Lady Zizzers had two chances to score. early in the first half they had the ball near the edge of the 18 yard box, but couldn’t quite get the shot off. Late in the second half, Mollie Plocher was sent in on goal by Michelle Esterle. Plocher’s shot from near the 18 yard box went over the goal.
Being able to get our heads up and connect passes against quality teams is something we have struggled with. Better communication and confidence are helping in that area. The girls showed good effort and worked well as a team. Speed of play is something we still need to improve, but we are making some strides in the right direction.
Because of the weather, no JV game was played. Up next will the games against the Parkview Vikings on Monday. These will be the last Home Games of the season. We will honor the three Lady Zizzer Seniors and their Parents with a short ceremony between the JV and Varsity games. This year’s Seniors are: Jamie Brassfield, Michelle Esterle, and Audi Morrison.
