Big tilt, 'Cats come up just short

In a rematch from a week ago, New Hampton came to KUA looking for an easy win, what they got was anything but that. KUA came out of the locker room dialed in and ready to work. Both teams were connecting on their passes and moving the ball down field, getting chances. Both goalies made great saves keeping both teams off the board. It was not until 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter that Ariana Ftorek broke the scoreless tie. She stepped into the circle and fired a drive into the top corner of the net, giving the 'Cats a 1-0 lead that they held for the last five minutes. NHS started to show some frustration and began to play a more physical game, but KUA did not back down and held them at bay until halfway through the 2nd quarter. 1-1 going into the 2nd half, and the 'Cats were poised to take over the game. KUA did everything but score in the 3rd. They took the ball to the net, earned many corners and shot from everywhere. On defense, they kept NHS to the outside, protected the circle and let Stella Kozak see all of the shots. In the fourth it was again back and forth with both teams refusing to give an inch, until New Hampton won a corner. NHS made some nice passes and found the back of the net to take a 2-1 lead, with 11 minutes left to play. For the final ten minutes, KUA controlled the play, forced the issue but just could break through. The girls gave everything they had but couldn't level the score. Though a loss is never a happy time, there were no hanging heads and plenty of positive momentum to build on for the away game against Tilton Saturday.