'It was really important that we got exposed': How River View girls soccer regrouped

WARSAW — River View girls soccer took some early lumps against Tri-Valley and Berlin Hiland. But veteran coach David Kridler knew it was for the better.

A strong summer built confidence but also left his team, "a little too full of themselves," he said.

"It was really important that we got exposed early in the year so that we could be the team we could be," Kridler said following 4-0 win against visiting Coshocton in a Muskingum Valley League crossover match on Thursday. "We lost to two undefeated teams and played them well. This was the payoff tonight. We knew we needed this game."

River View improved to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.

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Forwards lead the charge

Forwards Alyssa Cox and Kylie Miller hooked up three times for goals, including twice in the second half when Miller scored twice off of Cox passes from close range. Cox's goal in the 13th minute of the first half was the icebreaker in a competitive first half.

"It was great to get that win," Cox said. "I felt like we kept the intensity and our spirits were very high this game. I felt like once I sealed the deal and got that first one that it was time for us to get settled and really connect with our passing."

That was especially on display after halftime.

River View missed three shots from close range in the early stages of the half, but Miller's goal to the upper right corner, after a sandwiched Cox found her slipping toward the box from her right, broke the ice at 27:06. Bailey Custer scored off a rebound, set up by two passes that created a shot, six minutes later to all but put it away.

Miller's second goal came in the eighth minute off a cross from Cox from the left side. All three scores came from passes off straight-line attacks, as the Lady Bears turned up the offensive aggression following the intermission.

Kridler seeking smarter play

The attack mindset wasn't necessarily a good thing, Kridler said. In this case, it was knowing when to pull back the reins.

"We were too direct," Kridler said. "When you're trying to kill off a game — there was a period of time from about 15 minutes (in the second half) down to eight minutes where we couldn't even touch the ball because we were in such a hurry. You've got to learn to kill the game off with possession. If not, you run yourself ragged and expose yourself going the other way."

Kridler said one of the areas of focus against Coshocton was for the outside midfielders to not make as many instinctive direct runs at the opponent. Instead he wanted to see more patience and not force the action.

The results in that regard were mixed, thought the end result was what the Lady Bears were seeking. A key MVL-Big School game looms next Thursday at John Glenn.

"We have the potential to be a very intelligent team," Kridler said. "We just lose our minds sometimes."

Injuries holding back Coshocton

Coshocton coach Kimmie Underwood said her team was forced to use a formation it hadn't practiced due to multiple injuries, most notably a hip injury that freshman Anna Fries re-aggravated in the first half.

"We needed to talk a little more in the back with some communication things," Underwood said. "I felt like we came out flat and that kind of set the tone from the start. We were trying to fight back in it the whole game."

Underwood's squad was already dealing with the health issues with Mia Lauvray and Sophie Skelton. Fries was on crutches after the game, as it continued a trend of reshuffling the lineup as the meat of the MVL schedule has gotten underway.

Underwood said she has never dealt with this many physical setbacks as a coach. Her team slipped to 2-3 overall and 0-3 in league play.

"We have had such a long August, and we just need a couple of days to kind of get healthy and get accommodated," Underwood said. "We bounce back. We played very well against Ridgewood on Saturday. We didn't get to practice as much as we'd have liked this week due to the heat, but everybody has to deal with that. It's just trying to get through.

"We had five games in August and it's about getting some rest and getting healed up a little bit for this next stretch in August," Underwood added. "I don't see them putting their heads down. That is one thing they do that I am proud of. They fight until the end."

Coshocton hosts West Muskingum for a key MVL-Small School game on Tuesday.

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: 'It was really important that we got exposed': How River View girls soccer regrouped