The Westside girls soccer team had a tough match against Duchesne on Monday, May 15. The third-ranked Cardinals beat the Warriors 2-1 in overtime. This was a big game for the Warriors and they put on a long and hard fight, after being down a goal for most of the game.

The Warriors stayed with the Cardinals for most of the game, but with the Warriors couldn’t hold on.

“Something that Duchesne did really well was shooting,” Luci Proctor said. “They had a lot of talented players that could shoot from very far out and unfortunately that is what both of their goals came from.”

Sophomore Nora Johnson thinks the reason for Duchesne coming out on top, is because of how well they were able to score off of Westside’s mistakes.

“They did well at capitalizing on their opportunities,” Johnson said.

Even though the Warriors left the Duchesne game disappointed for not taking the win, the Warriors realized they did all that they could by putting in 100-percent effort and energy the whole game.

“Some things that we did well were encouraging each other and working hard,” Proctor said. “We did really well at splitting their back line and getting crosses into the box and making opportunities. Another thing we did well was coming out in the second half with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”

Westside knew this game was going to be tough going in, but knew they had to stay with the Cardinals and not make it easy for them to score.

“Duchesne is a very talented team but we competed hard and worked together as a team to stay with them,” Johnson said.

With the Warriors finishing up their regular season and districts coming up, they know they need to bring their “A” game to the field for their last few games. Districts aren’t going to be easy for any team to win, but one of the only things you can control as an athlete is effort. Westside enters the postseason with a record of 8-6.

“When we have a lot of energy and encourage and cheer for each other we play really good,  so we just need energy similar to the energy we had at Duchesne,” Proctor said.

The Warriors open A-2 District play on Monday, April 29, when they host Papillion-LaVista at Phelps Field. The winner advances to the District finals.