After a bumpy week, the Tomahawk soccer team got their season back on track with wins over Everett and Stanwood.
Neither game was a particularly pretty win. Facing Everett at home Oct. 2, the players dealt with windy, muddy conditions, but the teams dug in.
It was one of those things where they were pressuring us to play hard at the beginning of the game and toward the second half we started possessing the ball better and took some opportunities and scored, said M-P coach Geoff Kittle of his teams 2-0 win.
Senior midfielder Kassandra Riozzi added to her scoring tally early in the second half off an assist by senior forward Hannah Wood. Though it appeared to be the game-winner, the Tomahawks notched another off the foot of another senior, Tanessa Williams.
The second goal, which came in the final five minutes of the game, was set up for Williams by Melissa Lauer.
Kittle said the team spent their downtime after the Sept. 29 loss at Snohomish focusing on playing a more relaxed game, and it seemed to show in their play against the Seagulls. But the game was a big deal, giving M-P their first win in four games and a victory over an 8-3 Everett team just ahead of them in the league.
We wanted to come out a little more relaxed this week, not feeling so much pressure because we put pressure on ourselves last week to perform, he said. The girls looked really relaxed and focused and composed in that game.
He added that goalkeeper Skyler Petersons 10 saves were critical to sealing the victory.
The Tommies won again two days later when they traveled to Stanwood. The 1-0 win came in overtime, as Lauer capitalized on a Rachel Hamelin corner kick.
We didnt play our best game. We struggled to possess the ball. We feel good that we got a win out of that even though it was a tough game for us, Kittle said. Situations in the past, it felt like when wed been in a similar situation wed come away with a tie or a loss, so that was an improvement.
M-P faces tough league challenges when they host Lake Stevens and Monroe Oct. 9 and 11.