By RYAN WALKER
A goal scored by Morgan Batdorff set the tone early on offense in a 4-0 home victory for Norwell’s girls’ soccer team Tuesday night.
The Panthers (4-4-1) controlled the pace of play from the first touch and, for a few minutes, took a few shots and created offensive chances. That all changed when Batdorff found the back of the net under eight minutes into the game.
“I mean, I think there’s always a little breathing room when you get an early goal,” Norwell head coach Dan Batdorff said after the game. “It kind of set the pace that we had a threat, and that was a great thing. … I think any time we score a goal, especially one or two early, it plays on the other team.”
The Knights took control after that, Batdorff admitting he thought Eastbrook’s group “broke down after (Norwell) started scoring.”
Despite many chances, the Knights were unable to score until the 13:59 mark in the first half when Batdorff scored her second goal on the night and sixth of the season.
By halftime, there was clear separation between the two teams when Norwell got the ball rolling its way. It could have scored on other close chances as well, but the Eastbrook defense held up at two goals at the time.
“We’re still continuing to develop, but what I really appreciated tonight was the opportunities,” Batdorff said. “We had a ton of goal-scoring opportunities.”
It was Grace Mann’s turn in the second half, scoring two goals to her team-leading 14 this season. The first, Mann received the pass from Batdorff past midfield and weaved her way in front of the net. On the second, Mann sent a rocket towards the top of the net on a deep penalty kick right under the crossbar.
Ridley Sheets tallied an assist in the match.
Over the last six games, the Knights have scored 6.3 goals per game. In that span, they’ve posted a 5-1 record with the only loss to 2A’s No. 1 Leo 2-0.
The offense isn’t just the only part of the team’s development; it has been the defense, too.
Coach Batdorff is a defensive-minded coach, and in the win over Eastbrook, he saw some of his starters and younger talent step their game up. He mentioned that early in the season, his team wasn’t as prepared to keep up with some of the top-tier opponents, but now, there’s been some growth that has even helped the offense.
“We were out of position out early in the season,” Batdorff said. “I don’t know. Some of it maybe was conditioning. We weren’t as conditioned as we should have been, so we were just a little lazy in getting there and moving off the ball. I’m seeing that better. Our passing of the back has been a whole lot better. Our goal kicks are improving. These are the type of things we work on all the time.”
Goaltender Gracie Rinkenberger, combined with Abby Wagner, have a combined four shutouts in the 5-1 showing. As the starter, Rinkenberger has allowed just 1.2 goals per game.
Norwell’s next match will be at home against South Adams at 5 p.m Thursday, Sept. 14..
Norwell’s junior varsity team also won 3-0 over Eastbrook. Hadley McSorley, Hallie Smith, and Shae Brooks scored in the game. Wagner and Emma Garner contributed to the shutout in net.
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