It wasn’t a win but it felt like a victory for the Elma Eagles on Saturday.
Elma scored two late goals to earn a draw against Shelton at Davis Field in Elma.
The Eagles (1-1-1) found themselves down 3-1 in the second half and rallied with a goal from Chloe Clark in the 63rd minute and Jillian Bieker in the 71st to complete the comeback.
Clark and Bieker both got on the score sheet with high shots that sneaked underneath the crossbar.
Shelton keeper Clairee Waylett appeared to make the save on Clark’s goal but couldn’t corral the ball as it crossed the goal line after Waylett got her outstretched fingertips on it.
The Eagles snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat despite dealing with several injuries and having to rely on junior varsity players to fill the void.
Elma head coach Evan Valentine was pleased with the result under the circumstances.
“I’m really, really proud of them. Sometimes you just do what you have to do to get a result,” he said. “I think that’ll go a long ways in helping the spirit of the team.”
Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group Elma’s Emily Newberry, left, tries to get the ball away from Shelton’s Brooklyn McMillin in the second half of game on Saturday afternoon at Davis Field in Elma.
The Elma coaching staff will be paying close attention to Kaya Aiken‘s injury in the coming days. The senior defender went down midway through the first half with an apparent injury to her left ankle.
Valentine said he isn’t yet sure how severe the injury is.
With players out of action, Grace Koonrad and Carly Gay both got significant minutes in the second half.
Valentine said he left the game feeling better about the depth on his bench and in the junior varsity ranks.
“I was really happy with the junior varsity girls that stepped up. They weren’t even really prepared to do it and they did a great job, so I’m happy with them.”
Despite having to fight back from down two goals in the second half, Elma was the first team to get on the board early in the first half.
Freshman Grace Spencer struck first in the third minute for the first varsity goal of her career.
Shelton responded with a goal from Anna Barkman who took advantage of the space in front of her, went on a run down the middle of the field and ripped a shot from about 10 yards into the box to beat Eagles keeper Paige Knutson in the 23rd minute.
With the score tied at a goal apiece, Shelton pulled ahead with another Barkman goal, this time coming off of a rebound that she corralled to catch the keeper and defenders out of position as she took advantage of an open net in 35th minute.
Elma keeper Paige Knutson makes a save on a close-range shot from Sheton’s Victoria Silverman in the first half of game on Saturday afternoon at Davis Field in Elma. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
The Highclimbers took what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 lead in the second half when Emma Miller received a pass deep in the box as Knutson was beat to her left as she had the tough task of accounting for two forwards at once in the 59th minute.
Elma needed two late goals to erase that deficit and avoid the loss.
In his postgame talk with his team Valentine encouraged his players to rest for what was left of the weekend.
“Improving health is my main concern right now,” he said.
Elma 2 Rochester 0
Elma used a pair of second-half goals from Kayli Johnson and Jillian Bieker to pick up its first win of the season with a 2-0 road victory over Rochester last Thursday.
Elma (1-1) and Rochester (1-1) went to the locker room in a scoreless tie at halftime, but after a foul was called in the box, Johnson scored on a penalty kick in the 60th minute.
The Eagles picked up an insurance goal in the 70th minute when Bieker corralled a loose ball at the right outside edge of the box and beat Rochester keeper Madison Bates with a shot to the far post to make it a 2-0 margin.
Elma goalkeeper Paige Knutson had to make just one save the entire match.
Eagles head coach Evan Valentine said the defensive mindset he’s emphasized in practice is starting to pay dividends.
“One of my philosophies is that everyone plays defense. We’ve worked hard on it at practice, and it shows on the field,” he said. “We’re not allowing shots on goal and our 1-on-1 defending has improved this year.”
