MONTAGUE — After a scoreless first half, Montague's offense took over the second half of Wednesday's pre-district matchup with Oakridge, scoring two goals in the span of less than four minutes to grab a lead that led to a 3-1 victory, ensuring the Wildcats' district title defense will last at least one more game.
Montague will travel to Hart next Wednesday for the district semifinal, a rematch of a May 8 game the Pirates won 3-2.
For the first 30 minutes or so Wednesday, the midfields dominated and neither team was able to create much on offense. However, the Wildcats began making some hay late in the half, and their players noticed during a player-led halftime discussion. It appeared it was only a matter of time before Montague got on the board.
It took a little bit longer - and a missed opportunity at the 25-minute mark - but the Wildcats got their goal. Freshman Ava Crow maneuvered herself into position and fired a terrific shot under the far post to open the scoring.
Crow has been the answer to the question the Wildcats entered the season with offensively, that being who would emerge as a scoring option to complement Lilly Rice.
"She is the poster child for (getting) one percent better every day," Montague coach Chris Aebig said. "We have a soccer camp coming up this summer and she was the first of our girl athletes to sign up. She's going to Grand Valley to do a summer camp. She is looking for opportunities constantly to get one percent better every day, to do what she can do to get better at the sport. It shows on the field. It shows with her touch. It shows with her command and her control."
Crow's goal came just over a minute after a wide open shot set up by a great centering pass went just wide of the net. It was the type of near miss that could throw a young team off its game, but Montague was not deterred.
It took barely three minutes for Montague to live up to a team motto - score the next goal - and do just that. After the ball was knocked loose from a glut of girls, including the Oakridge keeper, Rice gathered it without taking more than a split second to think and fired it into a wide open net to go up 2-0.
"That's definitely been something I've worked on personally a lot this season, not thinking necessarily and getting in my head, just doing what I know what to do and how to do it well," Rice said. "I think that's something that I struggle with, thinking too much, almost, (rather than) just relying on what I know how to do in all the years of experience I've had and just make those plays happen."
The 'Cats continued to dominate the rest of the way, and Rice scored a similar goal to her first to make it 3-0 with eight minutes to go. Oakridge did score late on a penalty kick, but by then the Wildcats were in firm control.
It was an impressive game for the Montague midfield and defense. Oakridge had a couple of corner kicks and put a shot just off a post in the first half, but had minimal scoring opportunities as the Wildcats often gained possession in tough spots.
"I think in the second half we really focused on passing to feet when we're clearing out," defender Elle Moran said. "That helped us push up a little bit more, and it also allowed our offense to get up and make passes."
The win doubled as the final game on the home pitch for Montague's seniors, which include Rice, Moran and three foreign exchange students, including keeper Sara Zorrilla, who played an effective game. After the contest, the program played a video montage of players saying their favorite things about their teammates, and the message was consistent - supportive, encouraging and above all, fun.
"We've had, some of the coaches might think, maybe a little bit too much fun, but I don't know if that's really possible," Aebig smiled. "The girls want to play because they want to play with their friends. They want to have a good experience. They want to have a lot of fun...We have a good time, and that's ultimately what high school athletics are all about."
