craigdailypress.com

The Rifle girls soccer varsity team scored one goal in the first half and three more in the second half to post a 4-0 win over the Bulldogs varsity team Saturday at Woodbury Park.

With the loss, Moffat County High School (MCHS) dropped to a 1-8 record for the year and 0-3 in league play.

Coach Eric Johnson said the Bulldogs defense kept the girls in the game for the first 40-minutes of action.

"In the first half we came out a little tentative," said Johnson. "We were playing a good game."

The Bulldog's defense was spearheaded by junior sweeper Stacy Ponikvar and goalie ,senior Cammie Hillewaert.

"Stacy had an excellent game for us," said Johnson. 'She was covering a lot of field and our goalie, Cammie, played an excellent first half."

The players felt they played a even first half with the Bears.

"We started off really strong," said Ponikvar. "Our offense was a little bit weak, but our defense played strong in the first half."

In the second half, the Bears came out ready to play and Johnson said MCHS couldn't match their intensity level.

"In the second half Rifle came out fired up to play," he said. "We just didn't click as a team in the second half."

Ponikvar believes the players just ran out of gas in the final 40 minutes of play.

"In the second half we were tired," said Ponikvar. "Rifle has a really good defense. We just never got it together."

Despite the Bulldogs loss, Johnson is optimistic about the rest of the season.

"We have a lot of potential here," said Johnson. "We just need to work together as a team the whole game. If we work together as a team we will win a couple of league games."

The Bulldogs have a busy week ahead. They play at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Steamboat Springs and at 4 p.m. Thursday in Roaring Fork.

"Rifle beat Steamboat Springs 1-0," said Johnson. "I see no reason why we can't have a good game against Steamboat Springs."