Wolverine girls fall 8-2 to Fruitland, but grow as team

The Weiser High School girls’ varsity soccer team lost 8-2 to Fruitland Thursday, Sept. 15 following a 50-minute delay at Fruitland Middle School due to lightning in the area.

 Skies began turning dark and the wind began picking up approximately 15 minutes into play when the referee blew his whistle four times, confusing players and fans alike. 

 “The game is being stopped because of lightning and players must take shelter,” he said, directing both teams to leave the field. 

 The decision to stop the game came from an unverified source, but was said to have been ordered by Fruitland Athletic Director Mark VanWeerdhuizen.

 Players were led into the Fruitland Middle School gymnasium for a required 30-minute delay due to a storm that was tracking from the west, as spectators waited at the field for their return.

 Play was stopped at approximately 5:45 p.m. and resumed at 6:35 p.m.

 Before the game stoppage, junior Beth Phillips was able to put the Wolverines in front of the Grizzlies on a shot taken from the right side of the goal, giving Weiser the 1-0 advantage.

 It was following that play that the game was delayed.

 Fruitland tied the score shortly after play resumed, on a goal by Fruitland standout forward Abbigail Roubidoux, who became a menace for Weiser defenders throughout the match.

 “She is always a factor when we play Fruitland,” said Weiser assistant coach, Kimi Kelley. 

 Kelley, along with fellow assistants Mary Kramer and Aimee Wootton, filled in for head coach Trine Loenberg who is out of town for a couple weeks. 

 Wolverine goalie Josie Cervantes had several saves before Roubidioux was able to get a clear shot, which came from close range in front of the goal, tying the game 1-1.

 The tie did not last long.

 Senior Emily Christopherson displayed impressive ball-handling skills, pushing through defenders and arriving about eight feet in front of Grizzly goalie Madelyn Hardy. Christopherson took her shot from the right, front side of the goal, the ball streaking left past Hardy, who dove at Christopherson’s feet in an attempt to block the shot.

 The Wolverines celebrated the 2-1 advantage, but soon found themselves back on defense as they fought to contain Roubidoux and the Fruitland offense.

 Roubidoux scored minutes later on a one-on-one with Cervantes, taking her shot from the right, sending the ball to Cervantes’ left. The score resulted in a 2-2 tie.

 Roubidoux would find the net three more times, giving the Grizzlies a 5-2 advantage going into the halftime break.

 She scored two of Fruitland’s next three points, the game ending 8-2 Fruitland.

 Cervantes ended the game with an impressive 12 saves.

 Despite the loss, players and coaches seemed cheerful following the game.

 “We improved a lot since the first time we played them,” explained Kelley. “We scored a couple points, and we actually had a lot of shots on goal, which is quite a bit of progress since the last time.

 “We were fighting a lot more. From where we came from, this is definitely some good progress. We feel pretty good about it, honestly. Our girls came back from the 45-minute break with some enthusiasm and were able to still be mentally in it. When they (Fruitland) started getting a few more points, it became harder not to get mentally down and I think you could see a shift that happened, but overall, they played focused. We feel good about it. I think the girls are starting to see more what we need to work on.”

 The Wolverines, now 3-6 overall on the season and 2-2 in conference play, according to MaxPreps.com, faced Fruitland for the first time this season on Sept. 1, losing 12-0 to the Grizzlies who are 5-1 overall and 4-0 in conference standings.