With less than a month to play in the 2022 regular season, the Yelm girls soccer team sits second to last in the South Sound Conference standings with a record of 2-6-1 in conference play.
Though their play might not reflect their record, the Tornados must start winning if they have any hopes of the postseason.
Coach Jay Dorhauer feels the team has lost some winnable games. With the conference play nearly concluded, Dorhauer feels the ladies are on track to walk away with some more wins.
In their last three games, the Tornados secured a win, suffered a blowout loss and tied. Each of the games taught the team different lessons, Dorhauer said.
The Tornados played River Ridge on Thursday, Sept. 29 at the South Sound Stadium.
“We’re not huge fans of 3:30 p.m. games,” Dorhauer said. “It’s out of our routine and it’s so different for the girls, but we made it work.”
Dorhauer said the team was off to a slow start in the first half, but picked it up near the middle of the half. The team was able to muster two goals in the contest. Senior Meridee Hill scored the first goal of the match and sophomore Holly Dorhauer forced a Hawks own-goal to give Yelm a 2-0 lead. They held the lead throughout the game and defeated River Ridge 2-0.
Their next game on Tuesday, Oct. 4, featured a 8-0 loss in a contest against Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is currently tied at the top of the South Sound Conference alongside Peninsula, with each sporting an 8-0-1 record.
Dorhauer said the team was off to another slow start against Gig Harbor which allowed the Tides to jump out to an early, but big lead.
“I’ve noticed a trend that we have trouble starting our games. When the whistle blows, we aren’t as ready to start that game as the opposing team,” Dorhauer said. “The first half against Gig Harbor was our most disappointing half of the year, but the girls came out in the second and played more physically.”
Dorhauer said the team had several opportunities to score throughout the game, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities they had. He added that while the score was lopsided, he was pleased with their efforts in the second half.
Their final game of the week came in a matchup with South Sound Conference rivals, the Timberline Blazers. Ultimately, the game wound up as a 0-0 tie.
“We played good in the first half, and created a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, their goalie was up for the task and saved every shot we had,” Dorhauer said. “In years past, this game could’ve turned ugly. The effort was there. We just had some tired legs.”
Dorhauer said Hill had a shot on goal that hit the crossbar and bounced down, possibly crossing the line for a score, but Yelm was not awarded with the point.
The Tornados girls soccer team traveled to Peninsula High School on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to play the Seahawks in a South Sound Conference matchup.
Following their contest with Peninsula, they’ll return home on Friday, Oct. 14 to host the Capital Cougars in another SSC matchup. The matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
“If we play how we did in the second half against Gig (Harbor) and the first half against Timberline, I think we can beat both of these teams,” Dorhauer said before the games. “Our girls play hard and work harder. I believe we can outwork these teams and walk away with some wins.”
