WHITEHALL — After two prospective season openers were wiped out by weather, Whitehall was anxious to get on the field, and the Vikings showed why with an all-around solid performance and a 3-1 win over Lakewood Thursday.
The Vikings had hoped to open their season against Coopersville or Godwin Heights earlier in March, but only needed to wait a little over 11 minutes after kickoff to tally their first goal of the season. Reese Hesse fired a shot at the Lakewood keeper that she was unable to corral, opening the door for Aaliyah Jamison to scorch in a rebound.
That was the only first-half goal for Whitehall, but the Vikes dominated possession most of the way, impressing new coach Laicey Chamberlain. Lakewood's only significant scoring chance came on a shot that banged off the crossbar.
"What a
great way to start the season on a high note," Chamberlain said. "The girls played
really well. They're In a different formation than
they are accustomed to, so it's nice seeing them adjust so well and perform so well under these new parameters.
"I
just think that they're going to have this singular mind, and it's
going to be really exciting to watch how that develops over our season."
Whitehall's game control continued in the second half, and the Vikes were rewarded with a pair of goals in the first 11 minutes. Freshman Izzy Causie, who impressed coaches and teammates alike in early practices, brought that skill to the field by launching a shot from the edge of the box that sailed over the keeper, and Hesse added a goal by beating a defender 1-on-1 and sneaking a shot into the net. Hesse's goal was set up by a good move by defender Morgan Garcia, who broke away from a Lakewood opponent and sent the ball up the field for Hesse.
The offensive group of Jamison, Causie and Hesse seem to complement each other well; Hesse is speedy and tough, Jamison brings physicality and power, and Causie is capable of explosive plays. Kate Beda was held off the scoreboard Thursday, but she was an all-state honorable mention player last year and will no doubt be heard from soon.
"It was definitely
nerve-wracking for our team, because it's a really new
team," Hesse said. "But we also have been playing a lot together, so
it's been super fun and our team chemistry has been really good.
It was fun to actually put the hard work that we've been
doing together into practice."
The only thing that prevented a Whitehall shutout - which would've been the first for keeper Kaylyn Blaske - was a spectacular shot of over 40 yards by Lakewood's Sydney Tefft late in the game. However, by then Whitehall's lead was secure.
Chamberlain said before the season that she was pushing her team hard in practice and was very pleased to see the players respond. No Viking seemed tentative to mix it up when it was called for, and Liz Fox even stayed in the game after a play on the ball sent her to the turf for a few fleeting moments, showing the team her toughness.
"It's my goal to make practices our hardest thing," Chamberlain said. "Watching how hard they go in practice, it was reassuring to see them get
out here and transfer it over to their play on the field."
The Whitehall roster is small - only 16 players were listed - but the team chemistry is strong. With only a few veteran players and some new coaches, the Vikings are all learning together, and it seems to be building a connection.
"It's a really tight-knit
team so far," Chamberlain said. "Everybody's really connected. It's
such a positive environment, Everybody is building
each other up constantly and just so positive, so supportive. It's
really refreshing to see."
