Redbirds Phantoms rivalry match ends in stalemate

DE PERE – On Tuesday, April 8, the West De Pere Phantoms battled in a nail-biting rivalry against the De Pere Redbirds, ending in an intense stalemate with a final score of 0-0. 

“It was a tough matchup,” says Belle Mommaerts, West De Pere senior. “We’ve always known De Pere has been good; they’ve been our rivals from over the bridge, but I think each year we keep improving. It wasn’t exactly the outcome we were hoping for, but still a tough fight.”

As the game began, the Redbirds took the ball off of kickoff and immediately soared to the goal as they attempted to get an early shot.

The defensive showdown continued through the rest of the half as each team brought the ball up and down the field in attempts of a successful goal. 

“[De Pere players] are always very well coached,” explains West De Pere Girls Soccer Head Coach Chad Johnson. “Their players are outstanding, so you have to go into that battle, learn and use it as an opportunity to get better.”

The second half of the game commenced with the Phantoms swooping the ball from kickoff with the hopes to get an accurate strike. 

As the game continued towards its unrelenting draw, the Phantoms received the chance to score 18 minutes into the second half when Redbirds goalie, senior Jocelyn Blahnik, received a yellow card for handling the ball outside of the box.

After a great save from subbed-in freshman Anne Peterson, the game remained scoreless as each team fought to defend their goal. 

Top performers for the game highlight De Pere keepers of senior Blahnik and freshman Peterson, as well as West De Pere keeper sophomore Cassidy Baciak, as they all had difficult saves to maintain a tight score throughout the entire game. 

“It’s progress for us,” explained Johnson. “We’ve started out the season playing mainly FRCC teams, we’re still in the Bay [conference]. We’re getting taught lessons and learning from them every day. We’re learning to be more aggressive, we’re having to play quicker, our girls are fast learners so that really helps. We’re doing well…Tonight, I think, was just understanding that when we want to play some soccer and be physical, we can take the lessons that we are learning and applying.”