The Lady Trojans are beginning their soccer season solidly with a win as they beat the Lady Slicers Tuesday evening.
This was the first game of the season for Chesterton High School, who shut out La Porte High School on La Porte’s home field with a score of 9-0. Chesterton scored three of the goals within the first 10 minutes of the game. As hard as the Lady Slicers tried they couldn’t keep Chesterton from scoring eight goals to end the first half.
La Porte came out stronger during the second half and kept Chesterton from scoring for almost 20 minutes. Because of the new Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) rules, the game ended with the ninth goal and 20 minutes left in the game.
This conference game was the second loss of the season for the Lady Slicers and the first conference win for the Lady Trojans.
In 2020, La Porte lost to Chesteron with a score of 12-0. The Lady Slicers ended the 2020 season with a 0-11 record. Chesterton ended the 2020 season with a record of 15-5.
Chesterton goalkeeper Carley Balas, who is a senior, didn’t see a lot of the ball as the Chesterton offense handled it the majority of the game.
“The ball moved very well tonight because we spaced each other out and passed it in front of the person,” Balas said. “The crosses and finishes were really good. I thought everything all around was really good tonight.”
Balas also said the team is preparing for their rival Valparaiso. They have also set their sights on sectional and regional wins. Balas is looking forward to those games and moving forward as a team. She is also looking forward to a year of being one of the team captains. This is her first year in that leadership role.
“It’s exciting. I have been working for captain all four years and I’m super excited for it,” Balas said.
Balas has played soccer all four years of high school.
La Porte captain Alondra Pedraza, who is a senior, knew the game was going to be tough.
“I appreciated that we stayed back and waited for the other team to make mistakes when they are coming on,” Pedraza said. “That’s an advantage and that’s how we were getting through it.”
Pedraza was proud of her kicks from the box as she assisted the goalkeeper. She also felt she communicated well during the game and tried to keep the spirit of the players up.
“We’ve been working on approaching the ball quicker and trying to make passes straight to the person instead of the middle of nowhere,” Pedraza said. “We have also been working on our communication.”
Pedraza is looking forward to the season. This is her first year as a captain.
“I have anticipated this moment since my freshman year. It’s been about building my way up,” Pedraza said.
Before the varsity game started, the junior varsity teams were able to play 40 minutes. Chesterton took the win with eight goals. La Porte was scoreless.