A sunny Saturday afternoon welcomed the Coe College Kohawks to UW-Whitewater for the first ever Battle of the Hawks, Sept. 28. Whitewater wore the white kits, while Coe donned their maroons on Robert Fiskum Field. From first kick it was all Warhawks. Senior midfielder Emily Thill opened the scoring for Whitewater 4:19 into the first half, her fifth goal of the season. Almost 10 minutes later, freshman forward Jenna Laidlaw scored to make it 2-0 Warhawks, her second goal of the season. Both scores were assisted by senior midfielder Brittany Ellinghaus.
Freshman midfielder Kalee Fricke came off of the bench and made it 3-0 Whitewater 36:06 into the first half, her first score of the season. The Wawhawks controlled the first half, not allowing a Kohawk shot on goal. However, a huge offensive first half would not end after forty-five minutes of play. Head coach Dan Montanye and the Warhawks smelled blood in the water in the first half after their 3-0 blow. Thirty-four seconds into the second half, sophomore forward Gianna Zamborini made it 4-0 Warhawks for her first goal of the season as well. That proved to be the end of the scoring affair for both sides, the Warhawks defeating the Kohawks 4-0. Montanye liked the way his team started and never looked back.
“I am really pleased with [us] taking full control of the game. We started off really strong which is what we needed to do to set the tone for the rest of the game.”
The Warhawks showed up and looked impressive on both sides, allowing two shots, neither of them on goal, for the Coe Kohawks all game. Montanye complimented his defense when they had to be called upon.
“[I am] really, really proud of them, they stayed dialed in, despite the fact that we were consistently in the offensive end.”
The Warhawk defenders were mostly spectators, but shut down any opposing attack when the situation arose. Laidlaw and Zamborini complimented their defensive teammates on pitching a shutout.
“I am very happy with our defense. People had to step up today and they did really good,” Zamborini remarked.
“I thought our defense looked very composed and didn’t panic at any point. It was good to see no shots on goal,” Laidlaw said.
The Warhawks played aggressive for all 90 minutes, intercepting Kohawk passes and keeping the ball on Coe’s side of the field. In addition to spectacular defense, Whitewater controlled the offensive side of the ball.
“Putting [Coe] under pressure helped us out a lot [as well as] winning the ball back in good areas,” Montanye stated.
Laidlaw and Zamborini, both with scores, emphasized the fact of getting the scoring started early and the team staying in the game, even when ahead.
“I thought it was really important we got the goals early on. We could relax a bit and have some possession and just calm ourselves down to create a better game,” Laidlaw mentioned.
When on the field, each player has to know what their teammates are doing. Where the ball may be headed, what position to get into, or how to execute an offensive possession. It’s an old saying, but communication is key.
“You don’t always see the runs people make [on the field] so communicating with each other is the most important thing,” Laidlaw explained.
“Playing simple balls and making smart decisions [is important]. You don’t always have to play the most spectacular ball. You can play simple and just play smart,” Zamborini added.
The Warhawks finish September with a record of 4-4-2 and will stay at home for their next match against Loras College on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.
