DELPHOS — Continental made a change on the field and an attitude adjustment to pick up a 2-0 win over Delphos Jefferson in a non league confrontation Saturday.
Continental collects up its first win of the season and improves to 1-2. Jefferson falls to 1-2.
With defense dominating the first half, the teams battled to a 0-0 tie.
At halftime, Continental head coach Tony Bidlack decided to make some matchup changes but also challenged the Pirates to have a more aggressive approach and the team responded with two scores.
“We did make a tactical adjustment in the second half but really the biggest adjustment was mentally,” Bidlack said. “We came out in the first half, and we were flat and not assertive, and Delphos came after us, and we were on our heels the entire time.”
Bidlack added that tactically they moved players around to take advantage of some match ups and said they helped but reiterated the biggest thing was the Pirates were more assertive in their approach.
Continental’s first goal came with a little more than 10 minutes into the second half. Jefferson was whistled for a penalty about 35 yards from the Jefferson goal and the Pirates made the most of the scoring opportunity when Shelby Collier fired a shot towards teammate Maddie Burke who ducked and the ball skimmed off her back, slightly redirecting the shot, and it was enough to get past Jefferson goalie Lilian Baugh.
Continental’s second goal came off the leg of Bryn Tegenkamp who blasted a rising shot from about 20 yards out past the overstretched hands of Baugh into the left corner of the goal. The insurance goal came with a little more than 12 minutes left in the game.
Bidlack said the early story of the season for Continental is they have found themselves down and dealing with adversity and against Jefferson the team put it together.
“We have incredible talent in this group, and we have to be resilient,” Bidlack said. “We have been down at halftime in our first two games and tied at halftime here and didn’t play well, and we have played better in the second half every game this year and so hopefully we can put two good halves together and that is the goal right now.”
Bidlack added the defense also stepped up and continually foiled Jefferson scoring opportunity.
“In the first half they had a few more dangerous looks and in the second half we did a better job of not letting them get the ball in front of the goal and keeping it out of the box and when the ball did get in the box getting it out right away.”
While Continental upped its game in the second half, Jefferson head coach Josiah Stober said his team did not keep up the same intensity they displayed in the first 40 minutes of the game.
“I think we dominated the first half,” Stober said. “We maintained possession at their end and they were having a hard time getting it out of their end, moving the ball side to side and making them play defense but right now we are just having trouble finishing.”
Jefferson missed key scoring chances throughout the game as the Wildcats never got that one pass or clutch shot to find a score.
“We are getting position, we are getting balls and we are getting opportunities but we are just not finishing,” Stober added. “That comes because we are playing some young girls up top and that is going to come as they learn the game a little bit more.”
Credit Continental goalie Alli Scott with the shutout as she made five saves.
Stober said it is frustrating because he felt they had the opportunity to win the game and they were not consistent enough to get over the hump. However, the Wildcat head coach remains confident it will happen.
“We had a few mental mistakes, and they capitalized on them but we will get better, and we have gotten better every single game, and we have a game on Tuesday,” Stober said.
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