This story is sponsored by Dental Clinic of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Marshfield found itself up against what every soccer team hates to see – a hot goalie.
Wausau East goalkeeper Kaleigh Karlen stopped all eight shots she saw, many in spectacular fashion, allowing a goal midway through the first half to stand up in a 1-0 shutout of Marshfield in a Wisconsin Valley Conference girls soccer matchup Thursday at Griese Park.
Karlen made a couple of saves leaping in the air, a few more diving to one side or the other, and survived a scare late in the game when a header from Walker Guzowski hit the crossbar to net the shutout and the Lumberjacks’ first win of the season (1-2-1 overall, 1-1 WVC).
“The last touch was just not there,” Marshfield coach Steve Lindner said. “We had the opportunities, but we just tried to make that last perfect pass and lost it multiple times. The girls played hard, gave it all they had, but it was just one of those games were you just can’t quite do it.”
After Karlen saved two early shots from Marshfield, Mallory Wanserski made the most of East’s first shot attempt. She took a pass from Blake Grogan, streaked past a pair of Marshfield defenders and slammed a shot past Marshfield goalkeeper Jala Zahn for the game’s only goal 19:04 into the first half.
Karlen saved a pair of Marshfield shots in a 35-second span and stopped a shot from Leah Cherney in the final seconds of the half to keep it a 1-0 game.
Darian Molter and Guzowski each missed on a couple of attempts in the second portion of the second half. Guzowski’s header off a free kick from Cherney at the 69:50 mark cleared Karlen but hit the crossbar and there were no Tigers in the vicinity to try to knock in a rebound as East cleared the ball.
“We’re disappointed for sure, but at the same time, each game is a learning experience,” Lindner said. “We always take that we can learn from the positives and the lows. You have to give credit to East’s defense. They stuffed us today.”
Marshfield (2-1 overall, 1-1 WVC) hosts Merrill on Tuesday to complete its four-game homestand to start the season.
Lumberjacks 1, Tigers 0
Wausau East 1 0 – 1
Marshfield 0 0 – 0
First half: 1. WE, Mallory Wanserski (Blake Grogan), 19:04.
Shots on goal: Marshfield 8, Wausau East 2.
Saves: Jala Zahn (M) 1; Kaleigh Karlen (WE) 8.
Corner kicks: Wausau East 5, Marshfield 6.
Records: Wausau East 1-2-1, 1-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference; Marshfield 2-1, 1-1 WVC.