Cape girls notch shutout
Cape Coral High finished off one of its numerous scoring chances Monday in a girls’ high school soccer match against visiting Port Charlotte. The goal by junior Carina Powell with 14 minutes left in the first half held up in the Seahawks’ 1-0 win.
Still, Seahawks coach Dan Gross hopes his team can snap out of their recent offensive slump.
“We’re not finishing,” he said. “It’s been about four games in a row, we’re not putting it in the back of the net. We’re getting the chances, so hopefully it comes as the season goes along.”
In the meantime, the Seahawks have leaned on their defense. After opening the season with a 3-0 loss to Ida Baker, the Seahawks (5-1-1) are unbeaten in their last six matches, a stretch that includes five shutouts in a row.
They posted a 2-0 win over South Fort Myers and a scoreless tie against Fort Myers, both last week.
Sophomore Amanda Kopale made three saves Monday against Port Charlotte and received excellent defensive support.
Sam Morreal, Emily Daniels and Laura Holloway are among the players in the backfield that played under control and prevented the Pirates from mounting a consistent attack.
“Overall, my defense continues to play strong,” Gross said.
The first eight minutes of the match were played primarily in the midfield area. The Seahawks gained more of an edge near the midway point of the first half.
With 14 minutes left, sophomore Jamie Smith booted the ball ahead of the pack and Powell chased it down inside 10 yards and buried a shot past Pirates goalkeeper Arielle Chase.
Chase deflected the ball, but it went through a hole inside the net, giving the Seahawks the lead.
The Pirates recorded two shots in the first half with the most significant one coming with 27 minutes left. Jordan McGee lofted a high-arcing shot, which forced Kopale to run up and gather the ball.
As Kopale corralled it, Port Charlotte’s Tiffani Thompson charged in for a rebound and collided with the goalkeeper. Kopale got up slowly, but remained in the game.
She faced only one shot in the second half. With 10 minutes left, Thompson received a pass in the center of the 18-yard box, but Kopale was in position for the save.
After being challenged by Gross at halftime, the Seahawks worked hard offensively in the second half, trying to add to their lead.
Though they weren’t able to produce a second goal, the Seahawks had some chances. They outshot the Pirates 7-1 over the final 40 minutes.
On several occasions, sophomore Vikki Reno led the rush.
Just one minute into the second half, Reno played the ball ahead to Christina Hunt, but Chase raced out of the goal and grabbed the ball just before Hunt could get a shot off.
Reno’s pressure created a corner kick opportunity with 26 minutes left. Daniels took the kick and put it on net, but Chase deflected it off the crossbar.
The victory gives the Seahawks’ five wins on the season. They’ll try to match their win total from last year when they visit Charlotte Tuesday.