Ovid-Elsie girls’ soccer coach Craig Thelen has watched his team soar to an 11-2 record.
The Marauders only gave up one goal in winning the Tri-Valley West conference with an 8-0 record.
“Freeland is out of our conference now; they were pretty much our major competition,” Thelen said.
“They defeated second-place Hemlock 6-1 in the only conference game in which they allowed a goal.”
Thelen had a feeling that this was going to be a special team. “We returned 10 starters from a team that was 18-4,” he said. “It would have been a tough battle with Freeland, but Freeland went to a different division in our conference.”
His team has met its expectations, as far as Thelen is concerned.
”We let one get away from St. Johns (3-0); we didn’t play our best game by any means,” he said. “We beat them last year. We didn’t show up. They were the better team that night.”
Nouvel Catholic Central handed O-E a 2-1 loss. But the Marauders won 2-1 in the other contest between the two teams.
“I think our defense is really solid,” Thelen said. “I can’t take away anything from any member of the team. We’re so experienced. In conference, we’ve scored 49 goals and we’ve given up one. You can say our defense is great, but then you’re ignoring our offense, and the midfield helps the defense out and gets the ball to the offense. It’s a total team effort. I don’t see a weakness on our team, to be honest with you.”
Senior Abigail Halm leads the team in scoring, with 18 goals and 22 assists as of May 16.
“She’s an all-around player,” Thelen said. “She can score from anywhere. She can shoot with finesse and she can shoot with power. She’s extremely fast and sees the field really well. She also leads the team in assists.”
The No. 2 scoring leader is Molly Franks, a senior with 16 goals and six assists as of May 16. “It’s been teammates passing to her, her hustle, and her desire to get to the ball,” Thelen said.
Victoria Stutzman has also had a strong year of scoring, with 11 goals and seven assists, while O-E has also prospered with the likes of defensemen Mya Hall and Logan Trefil.
“They’re extremely fast and solid with the ball,” Thelen said.
Goaltender Megan Walter had eight shutouts and a .89 saves percentage.
Ovid-Elsie will be competing in Division 3 in the state tournament, and the team looks “forward to solid competition in the districts,” Thelen said.