Girls soccer: Anna Lochbaum, Sycamore defense continue hot streak against Sterling

SYCAMORE – For the second day in a row, the Sterling defense played with a five-defender formation. It didn’t escape the notice of Anna Lochbaum and Sycamore.

The Spartans spent nearly the entirety of Thursday’s 3-0 win in Golden Warriors territory, with Lochbaum and the defense barely letting anything past midfield during the match.

[ Photos from Sycamore's 3-0 win over Sterling on Thursday ]

“We definitely noticed they packed their defense, so we just planned on getting it to the corners,” Lochbaum said. “We tried to keep it up, have Livi [Conery] and I be options if they needed it back. But I was really happy to see that we got the ball to the outside of the field.”

Freshman Cortni Kruizenga connected on a pair of first-half goals for the Spartans (3-1), with sophomore Faith Schroeder adding a goal in the second half.

“Obviously, we want defense first, and that’s what I always encourage them at halftime,” Bickley said. “When that zero’s there, we need to keep it there. I don’t care how many goals we score, we want to keep zeroes.”

—  Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley

The Warriors (0-9) played one of their best defensive games of the season, having allowed fewer goals only in a 2-0 loss against Stillman Valley.

Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley said there were a lot of factors playing against the Spartans, first and foremost that the team hadn’t even been outside since Monday, a 7-0 win against Plano in the Interstate 8 opener. And that was the only match for them in a week and a half.

“What are we, four or five weeks in and this is only our fourth game,” Bickley said. “Of those five or six weeks, we’ve been outside maybe a dozen times. Some of it was some new faces, getting some girls familiar with positions. And I think the wind might have been a factor in the first half.”

Sycamore had more than a dozen scoring chances in the first half, but aside from the two shots from Kurizenga, Sterling junior goalie Mireya Lopez kept turning the Spartans away.

“She didn’t want to be goalie this season,” Sterling coach Raul Sanchez said. “She had to step in last-minute, but she’s doing a phenomenal job. Every game she’s improving. She’s an all-star.”

Kurizenga has three goals this season, all in the past two games.

“Obviously, we had to find a new striker this year, and she’s been doing really well,” Bickley said. “She had a really good game on Monday vs. Plano. She’s one of those players that’s hungry for the goal, and being only a freshman you get excited you’re going to have three more years after this year. She got caught offside a little bit, they kind of pushed up a little bit, and that caught her off a little bit. But she’ll definitely find the ball.”

The Warriors couldn’t get anything going on offense as Sycamore recorded its third straight shutout. The Spartans haven’t given up a goal since a 3-0 loss to Hononegah in the opener.

“Obviously, we want defense first, and that’s what I always encourage them at halftime,” Bickley said. “When that zero’s there, we need to keep it there. I don’t care how many goals we score, we want to keep zeroes.”

Lochbaum said the defense is coming together well. She said sophomores Hailey Clawson and Hope Thomas, as well as freshman Grace Amptmann all have played well on the back line.

“I think our defensive line is doing really well,” Lochbaum said. “We’re really lucky to have Livi and Hailey and Hope in the back, then have Grace Amptmann come in. We’re excited to have a lot of new players on the team helping us out.”

Sterling has managed only one goal this year. Sanchez said with the new 5-4-1 formation, the scoring is going to have to start in the back.

“We had that formation yesterday against Geneseo, and now today we’re hoping to stick with it,” Sanchez said. “We have to build more back play, build from the back a little more off this. We need to get our outside backs to play toward the outside a little more and build up.”