By Tori Wittenbrock
Sports Reporter
ASHWAUBENON – On Saturday, July 1, Glory battled hard in their final home game of the season against Bavarian United, ultimately facing an unfortunate 3-1 loss.
The Bavarians opened the game strong, keeping possession for the first five minutes of the match, ending in a turnover after a hard shot over the net.
Brianna Morrissey worked tirelessly on defense to hold strong for her team. She recovered the ball from the feet of a Bavarian attacker, carrying it up the field and relaying it to Skylar Prentice for a shot into the keeper’s hands in the eighth minute of the match.
The Bavarians put up a very physical battle throughout the game, forcing Glory to stay on their toes.
In the 15th minute of the match, McKayla Kertsher gained possession of the ball in the midfield and carried it up into the box for an unanswered cross.
Elizabeth Behnke was involved in a 1v1 with the Bavarian center back — a decent opportunity, ultimately resulting in the ball going out of bounds for a goal kick.
A Bavarian attacker carried the ball up the field in a good breakaway, but her efforts were quickly quelled after an aggressive slide tackle from Kenzie Blau on defense.
A foul on the Bavarians moments later allowed for a free kick at the half line for Glory.
In the 22nd minute, a handball on Annika Lina allowed for another Glory free kick right outside the box, which Alyssa Mericle chipped just over the net.
Moments later, Glory’s keeper saved a hard left-footed shot across the face of the net, keeping them in the game.
In the 32nd minute of the match, Glory managed to get a shot off past the Bavarian keeper that hit the far right post and was then poked over the net in a follow-up shot by Mericle.
A foul by the Glory midfield meant that a free kick opportunity would be awarded to the Bavarians in the 40th minute of the first half.
An unfortunate trip in the box by Morrissey on defense led to a penalty kick just before the half which was netted in the low left corner by Bavarian center back, Gaby Schwartz.
In the 45th minute, Schwartz sent a nice through ball up the field for a cross on the ground which led to another mistake on the Glory defense. The cross resulted in an own-goal after an attempted sliding save from Mericle on defense, making the score 0-2 going into halftime.
The Bavarians opened the second half strong as well with a shot on goal in the first two minutes.
However, Glory was able to work the ball down the field for a shot on goal in the 48th minute.
Lauren Singstock’s shot from inside the box forced the Bavarians keeper to make a diving save.
In the 51st minute, Kertscher defensively blocked a shot outside of the box that surely would have put the Glory in danger.
The Glory midfield worked to recover the ball from the Bavarian center back, but ultimately the Bavarians ended up retaining possession, placing Green Bay on the defensive for four consecutive minutes in their own box.
Once Glory was able to win the ball back, however, they made sure to make the most of their attack.
Morrissey chipped the ball forward from the top of the box for a header on goal by Mericle. This goal in the 63rd minute sparked some hope for a comeback for Glory, as Mericle scored and Morrissey was credited with the assist.
Now 2-1, both teams scrambled to get their desired result.
A handball on the Bavarians in the 69th minute led to a free kick for Glory, which was drilled right into the wall, leading to a quick counter attack which prompted Glory to transition fast to defense.
Kertscher was quick, however, and gained possession of the ball, heading upfield and managed to get a shot off at the keeper as she was sliding to the ground, nearly evening up the score.
Glory really tested the Bavarians defense in the 74th minute with a slew of repeated shots on goal.
In the 80th minute a hard shot for the Bavarians went through the hands of the Glory keeper and pinged off the crossbar, going out for a corner kick.
The kick curved beautifully into the box, and after a lot of bouncing around, was volleyed into the back of the net to give the Bavarians a 3-1 lead over Glory.
Six minutes later, a Glory attacker had a promising breakaway, but was called offsides, ending their hopes of a late goal.
A corner kick for Glory was headed over the net in the 90th minute of the game, leaving Glory without any more chances for redemption.
The final score of the game was a disappointing 3-1 loss for Glory, with seven shots on goal to the Bavarian’s 12.