| MILLINGTON – Junior forward Skylar Strickland scored two first-half goals in helping to lead Millington to a 5-1 win over visiting Yale on Friday night. Strickland notched her first goal of the evening off a Corner Kick from Sarah Simpson and later added another as the Cardinals burst out to a 4-0 first half lead over the Bulldogs. Yale would score its only goal before the break as solid defensive play by the Cardinals held the visitors scoreless over the final forty minutes of play. “Our defense played well in the second half, and we get some key saves from Bees in net,” Millington coach Andrew Selich said. “We made few corrections at halftime and they worked. Getting out to a quick lead made it a lot easier as far as our strategy went.” Freshman Vanessa Selich got the scoring going early for Millington. Selich kicked one in the goal from 25 yards out just :45 seconds into the game to give her team the 1-0 advantage. Selich also added two assists, as well as five steals and 27 blocks from her position at Center Midfield. Strickland scored next with 36:37 left to play in the first off the Corner Kick. Simpson added a goal on with 28:56 left in the first half to give her team a 3-0 lead. Strickland scored again with 24:28 left in the first half to put the Cardinals up by four. Yale got on the clock with a goal with 17:20 left to play before halftime and the score would remain that way until after the break. Freshman Danielle Kociba put the Cardinals up 5-1 with 28:13 left to play in the second half, and the score would hold to account for the final. Goalkeeper Hannah Bees ended the evening with 10 saves, including stopping a Yale Penalty Kick in the second half. Defensively, Olivia Williams had three steals and 28 blocks, while Madison Mohr had 18 blocks, Emma Hoard had three steals and 13 blocks, Arial Lansford added 11 blocks and Kierrah Butterfield added two steals and 12 blocks. “This was a good win for us and it made it really memorable was that we played under the lights,” Coach Selich said. “Yale was a solid team, but we came out hot and built a quick lead and that propelled us to the win.” Millington returns to action on Monday, May 6, when they play host to the Frankenmuth Eagles. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30pm. |