Red Devil women snap three-game skid

Losing three straight by a cumulative 17-0 score tends to hit a team’s confidence.
That’s why, even after one of the hottest starts in recent memory for Allen Community College’s soccer women, Wednesday’s home match against Pratt was so vital.
Allen led 2-0 early, despite not playing particularly well at times, only to see visiting Pratt tie the score shortly after intermission.
Kyleigh Rowe returned the momentum to the Red Devils’ favor with a pair of goals, the first on a corner kick assist from Kristen Tainatongo, the second on a feed from Lexi Godlove.
Allen’s 4-2 victory snapped the three-game skid, and more importantly, re-established some badly needed confidence.
“We needed that,” Allen head coach Jeremy McGinnis said. “It was important to get the girls this win, plus it’s a conference win.”
The victory lifts ACC’s overall record to 6-5. Allen stands at 4-3 in Jayhawk Conference and Region VI play.
“Things really settled down after Kyleigh scored from that corner kick,” McGinnis said.
The goal came with 17:35 left in regulation after Pratt had scored late in the first half and early in the second to make up a 2-0 deficit.
Godlove’s goal off a Kaya Pelen assist put the Red Devils on top early, 1-0. Jordan Vigola was next, taking a Rowe feed and punching it past the Beavers goalkeeper to lead 2-0.
But even then, Pratt still dictated the tempo much of the time.
“We tend to take plays off, which you can’t do at this level,” McGinnis said.
Pratt’s Lauren Snyder scored off a corner kick with 5:14 left in the first half to cut the lead to 2-1. Jasmine Torrente scored the equalizer on a header barely five minutes into the second half.
“We really weren’t looking that good,” McGinnis said, noting Allen also struggled with the officiating at times, particularly at being called for what he described as “ticky tack” fouls.
“We were just standing our ground,” he said. “We had a tendency to lean away when somebody is pressing us. We just stood our ground, they’d fall down, and we’d get whistled for it.”
Allen returns home Friday to host Northern Oklahoma College in a match postponed from late August. Following that is another home tilt Wednesday against Johnson County.
With six Region VI contests remaining, it’s not too early for the Red Devils to look ahead to a possible postseason berth.
“I figure we need to win three of them in order to make the playoffs,” McGinnis said, something ACC hasn’t done since 2005. “But we have some tough matches, and we need to take these one at a time.”
The Red Devils were without the services of starting goalkeeper Keelie Arbuckle, who injured her ankle in a loss to Hutchinson Saturday.
“We tried to see how she could go, but she’s still pretty sore,” McGinnis said.
In her stead, Lacie Thornton tallied four saves.
Pelen also was limited because of stomach flu.
“Even though she wasn’t 100 percent, she gave it her all out there today,” McGinnis said. “I’m proud of her.”