Known for performing choreographed celebrations as part of Bayfield's Wolverette Dance Team during the fall- and winter-sports seasons, Peri Milner couldn't help but rock out with something much more spontaneous on the soccer pitch last Saturday afternoon.
Her teammates couldn't resist doing so, either, and not because it was St. Patrick's Day weekend.
Worn out 10-nil by Manitou Springs the previous afternoon, BHS refused to go quietly against Colorado Springs St. Mary's, with Milner toeing a Savannah Kaufmann cross away from mis-positioned goalie Becca Dunbaugh in the 52nd minute to avoid another shutout.
"Savannah set it up perfectly, so a big shout-out to her," said Milner, a sophomore. "I saw the ball and was like, 'Here's my shot! Got to make this!' And I was just so thrilled when I did; it was the first goal of my varsity soccer career. So I'm excited for what's coming up next!"
Added Head Coach Jen Zelinski: "I've been telling the girls, when Savannah's got that ball out there, we've got to push up and help her. She's a good player, but she can't beat four players one-on-four. And I talked to Peri about that individually, and she did a great job.
"I thought she was going to get a second one, too," Zelinski added. "So I'm really proud of her for listening and putting it into play."
The Wolverines were playing possibly the toughest Friday-Saturday set in recent program history, giving the girls a fresh look at two non-league squads seen in State Playoffs past.
Still leading 3-1 at that moment, the St. Mary's regained a three-score advantage in the 64th when junior Marisa Shigio slipped a shot through senior keeper Kailee Millard's defensive slide. They preserved it for good when Dunbaugh stopped senior Makenna Cowan's retaken (her first try missed off the near post) penalty kick in the 77th.
But the 4-1 loss wasn't what Zelinski and the upbeat Wolverines (1-3, 1-1 3A/2A Intermountain) focused upon when all was said and done beneath the Wolverine Country Stadium sun.
"It was such a good game; we were all working our hardest, keeping up good attitudes," Milner said. "We have a lot of new faces, but that just means more potential. So I think playing the harder teams now is great for that experience, learning what we need to do to be better."
"It's going to suck to lose games and play hard games, but that's what we need," Zelinski said. "Last night, they were a totally different team - I don't know who that team was last night! But like one of my other coaches said, we needed that. There are really good teams out there and if we want to play with them we're going to have to step it up. I think it reveals a lot about their character, being able to bounce back the way they did."
And not just to finish well their season-opening stretch of four matches in seven days, but just to regroup and maintain after St. Mary's wasted next to no time in taking an early lead.
But after junior Faith Heery converted a Katie Fowler set-up in the second minute, it took SMHS the rest of the first half to inflate their score to 3-0.
After sophomore defender Taelor Higgins tried a 30-yard blast against Dunbaugh in the 21st, BHS would manage 10 more shots against St. Mary's (2-0, 0-0 Tri-Peaks-East) with four of them staying on target. After unofficially making 12 total saves against Manitou Springs before giving way to freshman Lana McKee in the 63rd minute, Millard logged 15 stops versus the Pirates.
"It's definitely been a challenge," said Zelinski, of blending her squad's new and veteran talents. We've got girls that are out here working hard, but they just don't have the skill yet. But the good news is they are willing to learn; they're constantly asking questions, constantly trying to get better!"
"And I think it's a life lesson for some of the girls that are more advanced; you have to learn to be patient and be able to work with your peers, no matter what."
Up next for Bayfield will be an 11 a.m. visit Saturday from circuit newcomers Crested Butte, who will have prepped for the match with trips to Ridgway on Tuesday and Pagosa Springs on Friday.
