Wind, speed lead Indians to district win

Wind and speed were a dangerous combination for Fort Osage.
And that spelled bad news for William Chrisman.
The Indians took advantage of a strong wind in the first half, as well as a speed advantage, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in an 8-0 first-round game of the Class 2 District 14 Tournament at Northgate Soccer Complex Monday.
Ciara Howerton scored four first-half goals, while Jade Bedsworth added three more to power the Indians attack.
The primary mode of attack was the boot the ball over the Chrisman defense and let Howerton and Bedsworth run to the ball and put in the shot.
“That was how (coach Andrew Fletcher) wanted us to play,” Howerton said. “We knew the wind would be a big factor. And we knew we had to take advantage of our chances. We wanted to use the weather to our advantage.”
After Bedsworth put the Indians (10-12) up in the fourth minute, Howerton went to town, scoring four goals in the final 24 minutes of the half, while Bedsworth added two more. The pair each connected for a goal in the 39th minute.
“We put a lot of effort into it,” Bedsworth said. “We didn’t want our season to be over yet.”
Chelsea Turnham added a second-half goal to complete the scoring for the Indians.
Chrisman midfielder Kendyl Laughlin said the Bears started out with good defense, but an Indian adjustment did in Chrisman (1-19).
“We were trying to pull offsides traps,” she said. “And for the first 20 minutes or so, we were doing well. Then they caught on and waited until the ball was passed until going through and put a lot of pressure on us.”
Midfielder Birte Raabe said that the Bears needed to adjust better.
“It’s partly our fault,” she said. “We should have changed our system when we saw they were faster, and pulled our defense back.”
Even with the wind in the second half, Chrisman was unable to mount much of an attack, notching only three shots on goal for the game.
“More than anything, our girls played smarter in the second half,” Chrisman coach John Straub said. “They worked hard and improved all season. Hopefully we’ll see that improvement next year.”
Fort Osage now advances to face Truman at 6:30 p.m. today. The Patriots knocked off Fort Osage Friday night, spoiling the Indians’ Senior Night.
“We want it bad,” Bedsworth said. “We want to get it back for our seniors.”
The winner of tonight’s game advances to the district title game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.