After losing three of their last four games to Dover, Middletown and Tower Hill, Indian River head coach Steve Kilby said he hopes that his Lady Indians varsity soccer team will rebound in time for the state tournament, which begins May 22.
Kelly Jurusik, top, scores a goal against Laurel on Thursday, May 10.They were outscored 8-3 in those three games and were shut out from scoring in the first half in both the Middletown and Tower Hill losses. Kilby cited an overall lack of preparedness, focus and hustle for the losses. And, even though they lost to Middletown 2-1 on May 12, he thought that the Lady Indians could’ve beaten both Dover and Tower Hill had they played with the same intensity.
“Tonight was the worst we’ve played in the last two years,” Kilby said following a 3-1 May 15 loss to Tower Hill. “We played with a total lack of cohesion, effort, and an overall lack of focus.”
“If we’d played Tower Hill or Dover like we did Middletown, we could’ve won those games,” he said.
“Hopefully, this is a wake-up call for them. Hopefully, they realize that they’ll have to step their game up a level, because it’s one and done if you lose in the state tournament. And that’s been our reputation lately: one and done,” Kilby continued.
Indian River has won one state tournament game and hasn’t made it past the second round in the previous two seasons. The Lady Indians defeated Dover as the No. 2 seed, 4-3 in overtime in 2005 before falling to A.I. Dupont 4-0 in the second round. In 2006, Indian River’s rankings dipped to No. 9, when they played and lost to No. 8-ranked St. Thomas More 4-0 in the opening round.
This year, Indian River (12-4) could snare a seed anywhere between five and seven, according to Kilby, but could see a similar losing result regardless of ranking or opponent if they continue to play with a lack of urgency.
“If we don’t get our act together, then we’ll end up reading about the state tournament in the papers,” Kilby said.
Bottom, Molly Chamberlain moves the ball upfield.The Indians trailed Middletown and Tower Hill 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, at halftime. Freshman Alex Roenke scored the Lady Indians’ lone goal against Middletown in the 47th minute, on an assist from sophomore Sara Purdum. And senior captain Molly Chamberlin broke the deadlock for Indian River in the loss to Tower Hill, on a free kick from about 25 yards out in the second half. Indian River beat Laurel 7-0 on May 10.