Somerset soccer team finally breaks into win column

• Cassie Schmidt

Somerset’s Cassie Schmidt (5), shown in action against New Richmond last Tuesday, scored the winning goal for the Spartans against Barron last Thursday.

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A dramatic finish in front of a Parents’ Day crowd helped make the first victory of the season even more special for the Somerset girls soccer team.

The Spartans charged back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Barron 3-2 on Thursday. The Spartans honored their seniors and their parents before the game.

Barron plays a style that relies on long boots of the ball in attempts to get breakaways. With the strong wind at their backs, the Bears were able to score twice in the first half.

Once the Spartans got the wind at their backs, the game changed. Somerset had numerous scoring opportunities and, in the final 20 minutes of regulation, they netted three goals.

The first of the goals came from senior Laura Wells from just outside the 18-yard mark. She broke away from a defender and her hard shot was unreachable for the Barron keeper, who made a number of tough saves against the Spartans.

Somerset got the tying goal from a chaotic scramble in front of the Barron bench. Senior Paige Wagner had been shifted from defense to the attacking midfield position to add more firepower to the Spartan offense. When the ball came squirting backward out of the scramble, Wagner was waiting, quickly putting the score away.

With the clock ticking down, the Spartans remained on the attack. Cassie Schmidt got the ball outside the 18-yard box and pounded a shot into the goal, setting off a wild celebration among the Spartans and their fans.

Spartan coach Erin Wilson said she has her fingers crossed that this will be the springboard the team needs to continue playing a tougher brand of soccer.

“The girls were really sick of the whole losing thing,” Wilson said.

The Spartan junior varsity also scored a 3-2 win, the first time the Spartans have swept an opponent in Wilson’s years as coach.

Wilson said she was pleased with how the team regrouped at halftime against Barron, not letting the 2-0 deficit shake their confidence that they could win the game.

The Spartans didn’t display that confidence through their entire game at New Richmond last Tuesday. The team had an excellent start, with Schmidt scoring in the first five minutes to put Somerset in front 1-0. From there, the Spartans’ level of play tailed off and New Richmond scored a 3-1 win.

Wilson categorized the Spartans’ play in Tuesday’s game as “timid,” something she never expected from the team because the Spartans always seem so motivated to play the Tigers.

The Spartans end this week with a pair of games. They will play a Middle Border Conference game at Spooner on Thursday. They will play at home against Eau Claire Regis on Friday. Regis beat the Spartans 2-0 on May 12.

The Spartans end the regular season next Tuesday by facing another of their rivals. The Spartans will play at home Tuesday against Osceola.

Tags: sports, spartans, soccer, prep