Wildcat JV Girls Soccer has had a smooth season with a total of five wins and no losses. Millard West soccer has an undefeated varsity and JV team for soccer. JV Girls Soccer continues their streak with a win at their first game of the Millard South JV Girls Soccer Invite.

The weather for this game made it tough for the teams to score. The wind speeds that night were very high, which slowed down all the balls that were going against the wind. Millard West started with the ball, and it stayed on their side for most of the game. The Millard North Mustangs had a lot of open shots due to the wind being on their backs. Their kicks were going far, but Millard West’s defense was able to get it up the field for potential goals. They also had a rough game due to the field being grass and not turf. The grass was slowing the ball down and making it harder for the girls to score.

In the first half, sophomore Lily Dame fouled a player on the Mustangs. The Mustangs player shot, but Dame was able to work the side of the goal to keep the ball from going in. Sophomores Kyra Petrik and Amy Aguilar-Portillo and junior Sophia Krzyzanowski all had shots on the goal, but the Mustangs kept them back. The game was played mostly on Millard West’s half of the field in the first half. Center defense junior Kiley Johnson was able to keep up with the Mustangs in the first half. Sophomore Alix Kahler had good shots going and kept the balls from going into the goal. The first half was really slow and neither team scored.

“My position is defensive field,” Petrik said. “I like playing this position because I feel more involved in the game, and I am able to help control the field better.”

The score going into halftime was 0-0.

During the second half, Millard North started with the ball. Once again, the ball was mostly played on the Wildcat’s half of the field since the girls were able to keep the ball back. The team played good balls to the corner which helped boost their energy and confidence for the rest of their game. They had many crosses by the goal and in front of it.

“I am a right striker, but I also play outside wing or defense,” sophomore Drew Heller said. “I like playing in this position because I am able to take shots and score goals.”

Dame crossed the ball to freshman Becca Baker who ended up scoring the first goal of the game. Aguilar-Portillo definitely struggled more in this half because of the fact that she had a taller defender from the Mustangs. Aguilar-Portillo had four fouls called against her in the second half. During one of the fouls Aguilar-Portillo had tighten her quad and left the field to get it stretched out. Once she got put back into the game, another foul got called on her when she fell. She had to sit out the rest of the game due to that injury. Although they had an injured player, Millard West was able to keep the Mustangs from scoring any of their foul shots.

“My favorite part about being on the team is making new friends with girls I didn’t know before,” Petrik said. “Our team is very supportive, but we need to work on communicating with each other while we are playing the game.”

Another star player was junior goalie Kaylee Finlay who went one on one with a player from Millard North. Finlay was able to slide kick the ball away from the other player’s grip so she was not able to score. The defensive line as a whole stood out the whole game. Sophomore Kiley Johnson, junior Abby Kurtzuba and Dame held the Mustangs back the whole game so they were not able to score.

“I like playing left defense and left wing because I am able to make more plays in a game,” Kurtzuba said. “Throughout the season so far, I have improved on my skills and being able to play at a quicker pace.”

The second goal was sent to freshman Niah Kirchner, who has been playing on both the JV and varsity teams all season for Millard West. Kirchner ran to meet up with a ball that no one was close to and carried it to the other side of the field. The Mustang goalie caught up to her, but Kirchner did a little move around the goalie and shot the second and final goal of the game.

The game ended 2-0 with a win for the Wildcats.

“I think that our team could work on listening to each other,” Heller said. “We do a good job of talking back and forth, but we struggle with listening and applying things to the field.”

Many girls showed off their skills in this game and the Wildcats are continuing to have an amazing season. Foreign exchange student and senior Helene Lund had many good shots that were close to making it in. Freshman Payton Childress took many risks. She tried to do a header for a goal, but it went too far to the left. Sophomore Bre Hlavac held back the Mustang’s right defensive back pretty well the whole game. She also helped the team by stopping the girls when they had long balls over the defense.

“My favorite part of being on the team is the bond that all of us have,” Kurtzuba said. “It is nice to be apart of a team that is close and supportive.”

Millard West JV Girls soccer has a game on Apr. 15th against Papillion-La Vista South High School. They have a  winning streak that they can definitely keep up the rest of the season. They have strong players and great confidence that shows in every game.