The West Liberty girls’ soccer team captured a pair of high-scoring wins last week, matching up against Wapello and Bellevue last week. The Comets sit at 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play with plenty of time still to catch Beckman Catholic and Mid-Prairie at the top of the conference table.
The week started for the Comets on Thursday as they headed south to Wapello to take on the Arrows.
The Comets were not to be trifled with as they netted four goals in the opening half to all but secure victory.
An extra goal in the second half saw the Comets settle at their eventually 5-0 score line for the victory.
Junior Sophie Buysse and freshman Briscia Garcia-Vasquez combined for two goals apiece with junior Pearson Hall contributing the fifth.
In net, senior Maelyn Wainwright made 12 saves in goal to secure the clean sheet.
The second game of the week saw the Comets taking another long bus ride, this time to Bellevue to take on the other conference Comets.
The teams traded goals from the opening kickoff as each scored three in the opening half to put six total on the board.
It would be the West Liberty Comets who seized their opportunities in the second half, tallying an additional two goals in the second half to take a 5-3 win.
Pearson Hall recorded a hat trick as sophomore Jacky Moline and Briscia Garcia-Vasquez added West Liberty’s other two goals.
Hall leads the Comets with seven goals this season, followed by Garcia-Vasquez with four.
Molina, Buysse and sophomore Katherine Barten all have two goals this season while junior Gaby Morales and senior Nellie Stagg each have one.
The Comets look ahead this week to at a Friday matchup against Beckman Catholic before facing off against Monticello on Tuesday.
These two teams are polar opposites as Monticello has an 0-5 overall record while Beckman Catholic is a perfect 4-0 to start its 2024 campaign.
Two matches, two shutouts
The West Liberty boys’ soccer team returned to their winning ways last week after recording a pair of shutout victories on the road, first against Cascade on Monday and the second against Bellevue on Friday.
The Comets improve to 4-2 on the season sitting unbeaten atop of conference standings.
On Monday (April 8), the Comets headed to Cascade to play the Cougars. The Comets were unable to find the back on the net in the first half, recording just one goal before opening up in the second half, scoring three to take a 4-0 victory.
On Friday, the boys hit the road again to play Bellevue. As the two Comets teams progressed through the first half, neither side was able to find an advantage.
It would be the West Liberty who broke through in the second half to break the tie as they netted a pair of goals to capture the 2-0 victory on the road to end the week.
Official West Liberty individual player statistics for both matches were unavailable at time of publication.
The Comets will face off against Beckman Catholic on Friday before loading up against to face off against Monticello on Tuesday.
Monticello is winless so far this season while the Blazers are 4-1 on the year with a 2-0 RVC record.