The Manchester Lady Squires battled through both Mississinewa and Mother Nature Wednesday night, earning a 3-1 victory in a weather-shortened road match.
After an unusual pregame warmup inside a field house due to the weather, the Lady Squires immediately took the field ready to compete. Manchester and Mississinewa battled back and forth early before Mississinewa capitalized on a scramble in front of the goal to take a 1-0 lead.
Manchester responded quickly. Elin Betten found the back of the net off a beautiful feed from Allie Egolf to even the score at 1-1. The Lady Squires continued to apply pressure, and Rachel Eberly gave Manchester the lead with a goal assisted by Mackenna Bolinger, sending the Squires into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
Manchester carried that momentum into the second half. Just 11 minutes after the break, Hayden Krom scored the first goal of her career, finishing an assist from Ava Sautter to extend the Lady Squires’ lead to 3-1.
With 19 minutes remaining, worsening weather forced officials to call the match, securing the 3-1 victory for Manchester.
Manchester’s defensive line of Ely Mobley, Mckayla Dillon, Brooklynn Grimes, Jocelynn Young, and Kerrington Hearn put together a strong performance, limiting Mississinewa’s scoring opportunities throughout the match.
In the middle, Allie Egolf, Elin Betten, and Delaney Harshman controlled play by connecting passes, applying consistent defensive pressure, and battling to secure 50/50 balls.
Mackenna Bolinger, Rachel Eberly, Brynna Harshman, and Hayden Krom provided strong play on the outside, while Asia Mardy, Raimi Vawter, and Ava Sautter continued to pressure the Mississinewa defense and created several dangerous scoring chances.
