The Wadsworth Grizzlies high school varsity girls soccer team (1-1-3) took on the Brecksville Bees (1-4) where the Bees won 3-2 on Wednesday. After, the JV Lady Grizzlies won their game against Brecksville 2-1. The Grizzlies have had a rough start to the season with team captain Kloe Wagner, a midfielder with an ACL meniscus tear, and Daniela Ripplinger, a midfielder who also tore her ACL, out for the season.

“We were supposed to have a good season and a good, strong middle, but we lost two of our good players,” said Athena Craig, a striker for the Grizzlies.

Wagner injured her ACL in the Grizzlies’ first game against Kenston, and Ripplinger injured her ACL against Cloverleaf.

“Every game now is tough now losing those two guys [Daniella Ripplinger and Kloe Wagner],” said Coach Paul Williford, the head coach for the Lady Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies had a slow first half where the Bees kept possession of the ball most of the time. 

“We could’ve possessed the ball a little better, we didn’t do a lot through the middle and controlling the game,” Williford said.

 Throughout the first half of the game Liane Tichy, a captain of the Brecksville Bees, stepped up and scored the first goal of the game. A few minutes later, Athena Craig scored to tie the Lady Grizzlies up; however, the Bees reigned dominant coming up with a two-point lead at the half from a corner kick into a header by a Brecksville player. 

Coming out of the half, the Grizzlies switched up their formation from 4-4-2-4 to a flatback 4-4-3-3 to make a stronger middle to fight against Brecksville’s height difference.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Athena Craig celebrating her goal with Lily Haller, a center back. Craig struck the ball from the twenty-five yard line and lofted it over the Brecksville keeper into the net. Photo by Henry Chen.

“I think the halftime adjustments were good and switching to three in the midfield instead of two was good,” Wagner said.

The Lady Grizzlies stepped it up at half time where they had more possession of the ball and controlled the game. Cece Craig, a captain of the Grizzlies, scored to make the score 2-3 in the first ten minutes of the second half.

Later in the half, the Grizzlies kicked the ball and it was inches away from scoring, bouncing down from the crossbar, and was kicked out.

Throughout the rest of the game, Brecksville kept a solid defense and the Grizzlies ran out of time.

“I think we did we good, but I think we could’ve worked together as a team more and we could’ve stepped to the ball faster,” Craig said.