Lady Templars still looking for first win in tough pre-season competition
By Bob Bahlmann
Staff Writer
9-1-2016
MANTI—The Manti High girl’s soccer team dropped to 0-2-1 last week with a tough overtime loss to Millard 3-2 on Tuesday and then a disappointing 4-0 loss to Rowland Hall on Thursday.
Despite the winless record, coach Eleshia Steinfeldt, is pleased with her team. “We’re a really young team with a lot of injuries,” she said.
Starters Lexie Alder, Sarah Cluff and Ashton Wood are all sidelined, but expected to be back on the field when Manti hosts North Sevier in the first league game of the year this Thursday.
By the time the Templars played Waterford on Tuesday this week (the game happened after the Messenger deadline), they had faced four of the top five teams in 2A soccer and were ready to take on Region 15 competition.
Against Millard, the Templars “played a good game that day,” Steinfeldt said. Manti was down one, tied it up and then went ahead 2-1 at the half.
“We controlled most of the game at 2-1, but got burned with 1 minute left.” Millard tied the game in the closing minute and then went on to win in overtime.
Against a strong Rowland Hall team, Manti was again short handed, but the replacements “played their hearts out and ran themselves into the ground,” Steinfeldt said.
Manti found itself on the defensive end of the field most of that game. “We have a lot to learn and we’re going to grow a lot,” the coach said.
