By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – White River Valley did not take long to ”settle” the issue.
Madelynn Settles scored in only 90 seconds, and Molly Settles struck twice in less than a minute midway through the second half as the Wolverines wore down Bedford North Lawrence 4-0 on Thursday. WRV, which competes on a natural grass field (and it gets left a little long some weeks), adjusted to its first match on turf without any problem.
After the freshman Settles clipped home the first goal, she added a huge separation goal late in the first half for a 2-0 advantage. Then the senior Settles cracked home a penalty kick and a put-away goal as WRV (3-0) added the Stars to the list of victims (South Vermillion and West Vigo) this season.
”To get a goal that quick sets a tone,” WRV coach April Settles said. “We told the girls we needed to score early. We have a lot of offensive firepower. And putting the second one in was great going into the half.”
The first one was almost accidental, as Madelynn’s soft shot trickled through defenders and evaded a dive by BNL goalie Aubrey Lynn at 38:30. The second one was drilled, as she gathered a loose ball in front and ripped a shot from short range at 12:05.
In the second half, Molly converted a penalty kick at 18:05, then found the net again at 17:06. That was more than enough.
The Stars (0-3) struggled to generate a consistent attack. Almost every free ball ended up on the feet of a Wolverine, and WRV defenders were quick to take away possession when BNL managed to get deep into scoring territory. Part of that is the fact WRV is coming off a 15-1-1 season and the first Class A sectional title in program history, while the Stars are freshman heavy.
“We didn’t back off,” BNL coach Jordan Himmelspach said. “We’re playing soft in some locations, not stepping forward to win 50-50 balls. Right now, those are going about 90 percent to the other team. We know better.
“This freshman class is accustomed to winning. We can’t find our rhythm. They see the score, and one player thinks they need to carry the load. It’s a team sport. We need playmakers to step up and make plays at times, but right now we can’t get connected as a team.”
WRV used this road trip as a measuring stick to see how much it has improved since last season ended with a 9-0 regional loss to Providence.
“If we want to go farther, we have to become a better team that controls the possession from start to finish,” Settles said. “We took a step in the right direction.”
BNL will return to Hoosier Hills Conference action at New Albany on Saturday.
