The West Liberty High School girls' soccer team took to the field twice this past week, falling 2-1 to Williamsburg on Wednesday, April 6, before capping the week with a victory over hosting Tipton, 4-1.
On Wednesday, the Comets had a visit from non-conference foe Williamsburg. The Raiders were the first to strike, finally nreaking a scoreless tie with a goal in the 28th minute to take a 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.
The Comets fired back in the 70th minute, as freshman Sophie Buysse scored for West Liberty, knotting the game late at 1-1.
The Raiders were able to regain possession, and control of the game, in the 74th minute, scoring the winning goal and locking down the Comet offense in the waiting minutes of the match to take the slim victory. It was the second straight loss of the season for the Comets of coach Manuel Machado.
On Friday, the Comets got a visit from River Valley Conference opponent Tipton. The teams traded shots on goal for the majority of the first half, but it was Nellie Stagg who broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute giving the Comets a 1-0 advantage.
Sophie Buysse found the back of the net five minutes later, scoring in the 27th minute and giving the Comets a commanding 2-0 advantage. The Tigers weren’t going to go down without a fight, as Marissa Tenly put one through in the 36th minute to cut the Comet lead in half.
Kylie Struck extended the Comet lead in the fading moments of the first half, scoring a goal in the 38th minute to give the Comets a 3-1 advantage going into halftime.
Senior Sailor Hall scored the lone Comet goal in the second half, nailing a shot from long range and putting her team up 4-1. The defenses were the talk of the remainder of the came, limiting each other’s shot attempts and not allowing any more damage to be done. The Comets emerged with their first victory of the season, 4-1, to improve to 1-2.
The Comets host Monticello on Thursday, April 14, beginning at 5 p.m. and then will head to neighboring West Branch on Monday, April 18, for another 5 p.m. clash before facing Iowa City Regina Wednesday and Solon Thursday, both 5 p.m. outings.