Staff photo by Ali Selby New Ulm’s Kaylin Eikanger (5) controls the ball during a Big South Conference girls soccer game against St. Peter on Tuesday at New Ulm High School.
NEW ULM — The New Ulm Eagles blew a 1-0 lead before St. Peter pulled away to a 4-1 victory in Big South Conference girls soccer action on Tuesday.
“They were connecting passes.” “We’re a big part of it,” New Ulm head coach Jonathan Johnson said. “We did a pretty good job in the first half. The first half was a lot better than the second half. St. Peter’s has always been a strong passer. We’ve been able to string together four, five, six passes in a row and just move the ball up and down the field.”
The Eagles are nearing the end of a grueling schedule that sees them play five games in seven days, with their next game coming Thursday at home against Marshall.
“I guess that’s just how the ball bounces.” Johnson said. “The players were tired, they were in pain but they still played hard, they gave it their all but unfortunately we conceded one point and St Peter’s conceded four points.”
Johnson added that the game was a chance for his team to absorb the tactics used by St. Peter’s, who have a talented coaching staff.
“Any time we play St. Peter it’s a learning experience.” He said. “They’re a long-time, accomplished team. Our guys are always taking what they’re doing and incorporating it into their own skill set, which is always a good thing. We just hope the score turns around and we can still beat them.”
New Ulm goalkeeper Ellie Dake made 17 saves on the day.
New Ulm’s Jessalyn Skogland scored the game’s first goal in the fourth minute on an assist from Piper Kapolczynski. The Eagles held that lead for 15 minutes before St. Peter’s Kyra Friedrich capitalized on a turnover near the goal and scored a goal. The Saints took the lead again in the 35th minute when Friedrich scored on an assist from Adeline Letts.
St. Peter scored early in the second half when Letts picked up a rebound and scored in the 44th minute. St. Peter closed out the game with a goal from Liliana Prunty in the 73rd minute. St. Peter had several chances in the second half, but Dake made some strong and aggressive saves to keep the score at 4-1.
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