Mountain View rolled to a 3-0 victory over Lakes Saturday afternoon at McKenzie Stadium in the 3A bi-district playoffs, clinching a berth to the 3A state tournament.
Olivia Fothergill scored in the 7th minute after the Lancers’ keeper Jazzmine Garza was unable to control a shot from Emma Cox.
Alexis Sadler made it 2-0 in the 65th minute after Cox found her wide open around the penalty kick mark.
Fothergill notched her second goal of the match with a header after Garza again bobbled a cross.
Both of Fothergill’s goals were the product of being in the right place at the right time and once again her soccer acumen was the difference for the Thunder.
“She has a knack for the goal and has great spatial awareness,” Mountain View head coach Cameron Cox said. “She’s a very technical and visual player on the field. She’s either looking to distribute or find the back of the net.”
Mountain View’s simple, outside-in approach worked well against the Lancers midfield, forcing the opponent’s wings to prioritize marking the outside and leaving the middle open for Fothergill and Cox to wreak havoc.
The Thunder started strong but drifted away from their gameplan late in the first half.
“We got unorganized a little bit,” Cameron Cox said. “But we regrouped an came out strong in the second half.”
Although the Thunder defense was shaky at times, the front four was able to keep possession and control the clock to secure the win.
Sadler, although a natural midfielder, was the most effective Thunder defenders. Continuously making runs back to help the defense, she shut down Lakes forward Myesha Moss.
Thunder keeper Jessie Selby was not tested often but was strong in the few opportunities sent her way. She recorded one official save in the shutout.
Looking forward to the next game Tuesday at Kamiakin, Fothergill has confidence in her teammates.
“We have what we need,” she said. “We just need to be focused and ready to go.”
