Both rain and goals were somewhat surprisingly absent Sunday, a cloudy and gusty afternoon where the Columbus Eagles and Ohio Sirens battled to a 0-0 tie in a friendly despite each team having chances to pull ahead.
“We have to finish,” Eagles head coach Mark Wise said after the match.
After an 0-2-0 start, including a 10-0 loss at the hands of FC Indiana just a week prior, Wise was satisfied with a draw.
“Considering what happened last week, I’m pleased with today’s performance,” Wise said.
The game started with the Eagles controlling much of the possession and forcing turnovers in the midfield. The early push culminated in a 14th minute free kick from Eagles forward Sydney Blomquist that clanged off the left post.
The Eagles would continue to get chances off of Sirens turnovers, and in the 19th minute, Deidre Abouahmed of the Eagles nearly capitalize in spectacular fashion as she took a strike from five yards out of the box that ended up just high and wide of the goal.
The recurring story of the game however was Eagles goalkeeper Laura Clark, who played aggressively in a position that has seen a lot of turnover in the team’s second season, as the Eagles have already had two goalies before Clark.
Meghan Jayes started the season at the keeper spot, but continued to suffer from an ankle injury according to Wise. The Eagles then found a high school senior net-minder, but Wise was in need of a third option as his second could not participate due to her high school graduation.
That is where Clark stepped in. Despite struggling in her first match with the squad, Clark made numerous saves and stops in Sunday’s friendly. Clark would play out of goal with confidence to stop numerous runs from the Sirens, including two in stoppage time at the conclusion of the game to conserve the 0-0 tie.
Another player Wise looked to work around was midfielder Molly Cornwell, who originally went out with injury in the 20th, but came back later to make an impact.
“Once she gets back to full (health) we will be able to move the ball through her.”
Cornwell showed flashes of her playmaking abilities in stoppage time, as she collected the ball on the side, had several clean dribbles and a cross that was barely cleared by a Sirens defender.
This led to a corner for the Eagles that missed the mark, and the Sirens would respond with a counter of their own, which led to an Annie Demuth shot on goal for Ohio that was cleared out, but the possession would eventually be ended again by Clark.
In terms of the remainder of the season, coach Wise is looking to continue having success maintaining possession, but emphasized again the need to work on taking advantage of the opportunities the possessions offer them.
“We’re going to work on the finishing,” Wise said after the game.
The Eagles are back in action at home next Sunday against Pride FC at 2:00 PM at Wellington School.
