By Kyle Grew, Staff Reporter.
Delta’s women soccer team (8-6-4) played Muskegon Community College (5-9) Saturday Oct. 29 in an exhibition game. Prior to the game Delta had clinched at least 3rd place in the Michigan Community College Conference early in the week.
Coach Stenglein and the Pioneers fully aware of their situation went into the game ready to make improvements and build their resume and momentum heading into the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Conference Tournament. This game also was a day for retribution as the Pioneers fell earlier in the season to Muskegon in a game that was “a bloodbath” in the words of Tara Blundell(6).
Through the early going of the game it stayed fairly clean with neither team able to grab a hold of the match. Errant passes and poor touches provided the match with little action besides a few half chances for both sides until Gabrielle Sake(15) scored her first of two goals in the 32nd minute of the game. Keeping the pressure up Delta added to their tally when Darby McLaurin(8) stripped the ball from a Muskegon defender and proceeded to dribble her way to an easy goal in the 34th minute.
The game reached half time with Delta leading by 2 and hoping to build upon their lead while Muskegon was planning how to dig themselves out of a hole.
The second half began just as the first had ended, with Delta dominating both ends of the pitch. The ball was kept mostly in the Muskegon half with many golden opportunities opening up for Delta. However it wasn’t until the 65th minute that Sake added her second goal of the afternoon.
Muskegon never really got into the game but they did get on the score sheet late in garbage time. The Delta defense held strong but began showing fatigue in the waning moments of the game but it was the offense who sealed the victory by holding on to the ball and finishing out the game 3-1.