Down 2-0 against Murray in the second half on Monday, Park City’s girls soccer team kept its head up and continued to push to get itself back in the game. The Miners relentlessly pursued Murray players to try to win the ball back, especially in Park City’s attacking end. Park City coach Anthony DiCicco bellowed out directions, urging his team to keep working.
There was a glimmer of hope in the second half, as junior Kendall Hassel brought the Miners within a goal with a long-range effort that beat the Murray goalkeeper up high.
However, despite generating plenty of opportunities to find an equalizer, a second goal never came. Murray held on for the 2-1 win to extend Park City’s losing streak to five games. Park City falls to 4-8 on the season with a 2-6 record against Region 6 opponents.
“Today, we put in a performance,” DiCicco said. “I think the goals are goals that we’re going to learn how to prevent, but we owned that second half. We had more than enough chances and a dubious non-penalty away from equalizing that game. So, we feel good, we’re not satisfied. We want to win games like this.”
The Miners’ last four losses included two overtime defeats and Monday’s one-goal loss. Despite the prospect of another tough loss looming, the Miners did everything they could to get back in the game and force overtime.
“I wish we would start the first half like that in every game because I know we can,” Hassel said. “But it’s good that we don’t continue our first-half energy into the second. And we’re consistently good like that in the second half of every game. So, I think that kind of helps us pick up, and hopefully next game we can start that way.”
Adding to the Miners’ recent heartbreak was not getting a crucial call to go their way on Monday. Sophomore Abby Hanton dribbled past a couple of Murray defenders and had an opportunity to score with the Miners down 2-0 in the second half. A Murray defender made contact with Hanton and separated her from the ball, but the Miners didn’t draw a penalty kick.
But something that DiCicco stresses is for his players to have a short memory. Whether it’s not letting one loss bleed into another or recovering from mistakes, it’s about moving on from what happened the previous day.
Case in point: Park City lost 7-1 on the road in its first meeting against Murray. On Monday, the Miners were a goal away from forcing overtime and potentially finding a way to pull out a win.
“When we show up tomorrow, whatever happiness we feel about the second half we played or disappointment we feel about the loss will be gone because tomorrow’s a new day, and we’ve got work to do tomorrow to get ready for Highland,” DiCicco said. “And then, after Highland, the next one. And after that, it’s the next one, and we just keep taking step after another.”
Park City has plenty to play for in its last four games of the season. The top 24 teams will make the state playoffs, and the Miners are the No. 26 team in the RPI rankings, as of Tuesday morning. But the Miners have shown that they will pursue their goal of making the playoffs with tenacity.
“This group is doing some special things, and they’re also rebuilding the foundation of the program for the players who are going to come after them,” DiCicco said. “They’re reestablishing the legacy of Miners soccer. So, like I said, tremendously proud of them and the work they’re putting in.”