Injuries Cripple Valley Soccer Teams Loss Of Goal Keeper And Forward Dashes Playoff Hopes For Bears

An epidemic of injuries has ravaged the Central Valley and University High soccer teams.

Although U-Hi has been able to cope, the damage has likely scuttled CV’s Greater Spokane League playoff chances.

“They’ve wiped out any opportunity we had to go anywhere,” said Bear coach Howard Woollett.

The two most serious injuries were to goal keeper Natasha Opsal and forward Marcy MacPhee in Monday’s 2-1 loss to Lewis and Clark.

Opsal suffered a lacerated kidney, and received a red card, during a late first-half play. She was carded for tripping an LC player, who apparently hit her in the back during the fall.

Opsal, said Woollett, was of All-GSL caliber.

MacPhee broke the tibia and fibula in her leg during a separate first-half incident.

“Natasha dove for a ball outside the box and put herself in danger during the play,” said Woollett, who is also a soccer official. “But there was nothing illegal in my opinion.”

Woollett said that MacPhee was going for a contested ball inside the 18-meter box and got tangled with a defender.

“They kicked at the same time and Marcy lost,” he said. “Marcy is a team favorite and everybody’s buddy.”

Freshman Angie Foedisch has taken MacPhee’s starting spot and Andrea Kallas, who never played the position before, is CV’s new keeper.

In the third game of the season at Wenatchee, Titan forward Casey Lektorich broke her ankle in two places. In a later match, goal keeper Shonni Trickel pulled ligaments away from her hip.

“I planted for a shot inside the 18-meter box,” said Lektorich, “and was hit by a defender.”

A piece of bone with the ligament attached tore off one side of the ankle and the other side broke, requiring two screws to be attached. Lektorich is out for the year.

Trickel said she didn’t know when she’d return. Freshman defender Megan Owen is U-Hi’s new keeper.

During a Wednesday doubleheader at CV, the Titans got a goal from Sara Streufert for a 2-1 win over LC.

Double- and triple-teamed throughout the game, she found herself in a one-on-one situation while Megan Black pushed the ball up the right side of the field.

Streufert took a pass, spun past her defender and beat the goal keeper with the winner with 12 minutes left.

“It was just luck, I guess,” said Streufert.

LC had dominated play for the game’s first 55 minutes with the Titans content to pack up in their end of the field.

Last 25 minutes of the contest, however, they took control.

“I think they got tired and we picked up the momentum a bit,” said coach Brandon Deyarmin.

On Thursday, the Titans lost 2-0 to defending champion Mead in a game at Joe Albi Stadium.

CV led Gonzaga Prep 2-0 in the game’s first seven minutes, but lost 8-2. Adding injury to insult, defensive stopper Janna Usher was hurt at the 15-minute mark and missed the remainder of the game.

, DataTimes