By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — September 27, 2002 – The Roscoe Lady Blue Devils had a lot to celebrate after Wednesday’s OCIAA Division VII soccer match versus visiting Livingston Manor.
Coming into the contest with a 0-7 overall record, the Lady Blue Devils had nowhere to go but up.
And they did just that by defeating Manor, 2-0.
Roscoe (1-7, 1-3 Division VII) scored at 25:36 when Rosie Miesner headed the ball into the lower corner of the net off a corner kick by teammate Diana Failla.
Failla scored what turned out to be the final goal of the match at 15:34 in the opening half on a whopping 35- yard direct kick.
While Manor (2-3, 1-2 Division VII) virtually owned the ball in the second half and kept Roscoe goalie Chrissy Rosencranse fighting to stave off a score, the Lady Wildcats fell short in the shooting department. That lack of accuracy caused Manor Coach Shirlee Davis to repeat the lament, “Our shooting percentage is horrendous. Again!”
Game stats: shots on goal (Roscoe 9, Manor 30); saves (Rosencranse 19, Manor’s Liz Weickum 6); corner kicks (Roscoe 5, Manor 1).
Throughout the game, 15-year-old Manor senior Arielle Parker choked back tears of pain as she fought on despite a leg injury. In a real show of courage, Parker gritted it out on a leg hampered by pulled tendons.
After the game, the plucky Parker hobbled off the playing field while assisted by teammates so she could join in the traditional post-game handshakes of the opposing squads.
“I love the game,” she said. “I refuse to sit down even if Miss Davis argues with me. I just cry through it and play.”
“There is nothing else in my life that I like more than soccer,” added Parker. “Being on the soccer field is a lot of fun, all the girls work hard and I’m here for the team.”
Davis said that while the Lady Wildcats are still struggling with injuries, they are working to overcome adversity in the hopes of making it to the sectional playoffs.
“If I get my team back at 100 percent, we’re definitely going to sectionals because they have the potential and have been working hard,” she said. “Hopefully with a little luck, we’ll be alright.”
It was a banner day for the Lady Blue Devils, as they basked in thelight of their first win of the 2002 soccer season.
“I feel they’ve got a really good chance of doing something, as long as we stay healthy,” said first year Roscoe Coach Cliff Anderson.
Roscoe’s lost four starters to injuries during the second match of the season. Susie Bowers and Roseanne Wilcox are back, but Amber Gray and Kourtni Guzzo remain sidelined due to injuries sustained in that hard-fought game against Chester.
Reflecting further on the Lady Blue Devils’ first victory, Anderson said, “They played damn good.”
One of the keys to the win was Rosencranse, a 17-year-old senior who’s been playing soccer since the ninth grade.
“I guess I made some good saves,” she said. “This year I wanted to play on the field, so I played striker a couple of times and scored a couple of goals, but my best spot is goalie. So I guess I’ll stay there.”