Girls soccer gets kick from ‘wicked left foot’ thesewardphoenixlog.com She’s just a freshman, but Catie Zweifel is quickly establishing herself as the future of the Seward girls soccer team. Zweifel netted two goals in last week’s 3-0 victory over Skyview and added a goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw with Nikiski a day later, allowing the Seahawks to taste some success after a slow start to the season. The sensational striker, who grew up playing club soccer in Eagle River, is proving to have one of the most accurate shots on the Kenai Peninsula. “She’s a fast player with a wicked left foot,” Seward coach Myla Liljemark said. “Being fast, she finds herself beating the defenders in one-on-one situations. She has great shot placement.” Seward’s Kristina Atherton added a goal and an assist against Skyview and goalkeeper Chelsey Clarke made 25 saves, including a penalty kick. It was the second time in as many matches that Clarke stopped a PK, a situation that favors the shooter eight times out of 10. It seemed like the match had a little bit of everything — giant goals, super saves and an astounding act of sportsmanship. Playing short Seward entered the match with the minimum of 11 healthy players, so when Jessica Stallings went down with a knee injury in the final 10 minutes it gave Skyview a player advantage that could have sparked a potential rally. However, Skyview coach Rustin Hitchcock displayed the kind of sportsmanship seldom seem at the varsity level when he voluntarily pulled one of his girls off the pitch to even the playing field, leaving both teams with just 10 players. “The Skyview coach showed one of the best examples of sportsmanship that I have seen,” Liljemark said. “He simply called one of his players off the field and told the ref that he was going to play short, too.” Liljemark was caught off guard by the goodwill gesture. “Most coaches would have taken the opportunity to throw their powerhouse players into the game and try to get a goal or two – or three,” she said. “It was honorable … and I was impressed. “It shows that the game is about more than just winning and it’s nice to see coaches model that in front of their players.” On the following day a short-handed Seward squad traveled to Nikiski and rallied for a tie with a late goal from Michaela Atherton. Zweifel scored her team’s first goal in the first half to help the Seahawks draw even at halftime. But after Nikiski took a 2-1 advantage early in the season half, things seemed to be going south for the Seahawks. Fatigue from being a player short was catching up with them, Liljemark said, and Nikiski was building momentum with each passing minute. But it didn’t last. Sparked by the defense and the instincts of Michaela Atherton, the Seahawks battled back. “They kept the pressure on Nikiski, challenging their goalkeeper and defense, and shutting down their attackers at our defensive end,” Liljemark said. Finally, Seward scored the equalizer late in the second half after Atherton found the back of the net after pouncing on a pass from Holly Ganser in front of the Nikiski goal. “Michaela was hanging out on the far side of the keeper box, ready for the shot to skip through the players in the box,” the coach said. “When it did, she was ready and placed it strategically in the lower right corner of the goal. “That goal perked up the Seward players and they were able to hold the score.” Defensively, Liljemark credited Emily Draper with slowing down Nikiski ballhandlers and helping make up for being down one player. “She played a strong center, helping to hold the play on their side of the field and keeping morale on the field up through positive talk,” she said. The Seward boys suffered consecutive defeats, falling 6-2 to Skyview and 2-0 to Nikiski. Goal-scorers for the Seahawks were Jared Lindquist and Scott Reierson. No other information was available at press time.