A Penny Save is a Point Earned for the Charge

Nov. 10, 2019 -- The 2010 Charge all wore their Marc Small Tournament T-shirts for warmups in honor of Veteran’s Day, and in particular remembrance of Marc. 

In their second meeting of the season, the Charge and West-Mont played a hard-fought game in a 0-0 tie at Heebner Park, with each team earning a point in the Central League standings. The Charge, no doubt energized by the sleek new headbands they received prior to the game, turned in a stellar defensive effort. Penny patrolled the net and made numerous big saves to earn the clean sheet, while Grace, Tessa and Sam all played well on defense to keep West-Mont off the scoreboard.

Penny made several saves in the opening minutes, as West-Mont was on the attack early and often. The Charge struggled to get consistent pressure, but they had bursts of opportunities throughout the game. Ava and Jessa teamed up for a chance in the first half, followed by a nice run down the right flank by Brooke, whose cross to Violet almost connected. Riley battled through two West-Mont players to get the ball into the offensive zone, where Bryce, Jessa and Brooke passed it around for a shot on goal. Penny made two more saves near the end of the half, and Sophia made a strong defensive play to deny a West-Mont chance. Experts agreed it was the best-officiated half of the season.

In the second half, Penny made the save of the game, diving to her right to stop an open shot from inside the box that was ticketed for the far corner. Shortly afterwards, Brooke went on the counterattack with the Charge's best scoring chance of the day, playing the ball ahead from midfield and racing toward the goal. As the West-Mont keeper came out of the net, Brooke was less than a step away from beating her to the ball for an open shot. Later, Ava worked the ball ahead on the right side to Sophia, who hustled to keep the ball in bounds and cross it to the middle. Cailyn also put in some good work on the right side to move the ball up the field for a scoring chance. Fans were on the edges of their canvas seats near the end of the game, as West-Mont had several opportunities to score. Penny made a tough save on a hard shot, and Brooke quickly cleared the rebound out of harm's way with a strong boot. Then, with time nearly expired, West-Mont had a shot toward the far post, where Bryce was smartly positioned and able to clear the ball before it went into the net.

The Charge (4-1-3 Central League) close out their fall season at home Nov. 17 against Haverford.