Recap: Talawanda girls soccer takes down Edgewood 5-0 after pair of goals

Mist fell over the Kumler Field as the Talawanda High School Lady Brave soccer team squared off against the Edgewood High School Lady Cougars on a Tuesday, Sept. 22 in Trenton. 

The last time these two teams faced each other, the result was a 2-0 Brave victory. This was their sixth contest since 2019, and Talawanda has not lost.

After a steady back-and-forth between the two teams, the Brave was able to gain field position on multiple breakaway attempts toward the goal. It wasn’t until about 15 minutes into the half that senior forward Jaklyn Wynn put the first score on the board after a congested fight for the ball near the Cougars’ goal. 

A few minutes later, freshman defender Jenna Frieden intercepted a pass and broke away with the ball but couldn’t finish after a save from junior goalkeeper Charlie Fall. 

Senior midfielder Lindsay Huff sprinted past a pair of Cougars at the 13-minute mark and kicked the ball into the crossbar. Luckily for Huff, Wynn came running down the field and was able to tap the ball in for her second goal of the game. The Brave took a 2-0 lead over the Cougars. 

“Both teams played intense(ly); their defense was extremely aggressive, and we took advantage on counters," Brave assistant Coach Mike Buell said. 

Junior forward Brooklyn Porchowsky stole a pass off of a Cougar at the 11-minute mark and took off toward Edgewood’s goal. She lined up a shot and placed the ball over the goalkeeper to put the Brave up 3-0 in the first half. 

The clouds grew dark, and rain began pouring on the field with five minutes to go in the half. The weather didn’t stop Porchowsky from fending off a defender and shooting a ball toward the left side of the net. Fall was able to collapse on the ball and stop the Brave from a potential four-goal lead.

Porchowsky started things off right for the Brave within the first two minutes of the second half. On a pass from midfield and a sprint down the left sideline, Porchowsky shot the ball over the goalie to give the Brave a commanding 4-0 lead. 

A few minutes later, Porchowsky received another midfield pass and took the ball down the left before overrunning the goal. Both she and Wynn finished with two goals. 

Edgewood took its first shot on goal around the 35-minute mark of the half. A slow roller toward the middle of it set up junior goalkeeper Abbi Egbert for a diving save. 

After another Cougar attack, the Brave skied the ball out toward the left of the field where Porchowsky would again be alone with the ball down the sideline. Another shot too far right gave the Cougars a goal kick. 

Huff took a turn at making a break for the left side of Edgewood’s goal, but an offside penalty would erase the effort. Another take down the right side would also be called offside, stifling the Brave attack. 

With under 25 minutes, the Brave lined up for three continuous corner kicks – all unsuccessful thanks to a diligent Cougar defense and a save from Fall. 

“They kind of clogged the middle,” Brave head Coach Darrel Davis said. “They had three in the box and five in the midfield, so it was really difficult for us to play our game.”

The Brave had its revenge later after a shot on the right side of the goal deflected off of Fall’s hands and a Brave forward chest bumped the ball into the left net. Talawanda took a five-goal lead nearing the final 20 minutes of the game. 

With a comfortable lead, Talawanda was able to control the pace of the game at midfield, not letting the Cougars enter the goalie box. Because of this, Egbert had a quiet first 20 minutes in the goal. 

The stands began shouting as the Cougars gained more momentum and pushed toward the Brave goal as a unit. A penalty kick set the Cougars up for their first potential goal. The ball soared into the narrow space between the goal and the football goalpost, giving the Brave possession back. 

Porchowsky came alive again for the Brave with 13 minutes left in the game, sprinting down the field and fending off a Cougar defender. After some shoulder-to-shoulder contact between the two, Porchowsky put a shot on goal, and Fall made a nice save to keep the score 5-0 Brave. 

Junior midfielder Colbie Burwick gave the Cougars hope with a shot toward the right side of the goal, and an Egbert deflection set them up with a corner kick. After a fumble for the ball, it was kicked back toward midfield where Porchowsky took off with it once again. On a one-on-one break against Fall, Porchowsky wasn’t able to capitalize after Fall swallowed the ball up.

Later, on the other side of the field, a throw-in from Edgewood put the ball in the center of the goal. The ball was tipped multiple times toward it before being sent back out left, a frustrating possession for the Cougars. 

“They really played to the end, which is great,” Davis said. “I think we matched the intensity and we executed well tonight. (We executed) our game plan: put the ball in the channel and run on to it.”

The Brave kept possession for most of the final five minutes of the game, and the team added another shutout to its resume. 

The Brave improved to 6-3-1 (2-1-1 in-conference) and will resume action against Franklin High School on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7:15 p.m at Franklin High School.