By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
OTSEGO—Otsego wasted little time setting the tone in its Division 2 girls soccer district opener Friday, May 22.
The Bulldogs, ranked sixth in D2, scored twice in the opening eight minutes and controlled play throughout in a 6-0 girls soccer win over visiting Wayland.
Otsego, which also defeated Wayland 8-0 earlier this season, finished with a 31-0 advantage in shots while advancing to the district semifinals.
“Overall, it was a solid game for us,” Otsego coach Levi Butcher said. “We had played Wayland a couple months back, so we had a good idea of what to expect.
Peyton Dennany opened the scoring just three minutes into the match before Addi Pfefferman made it 2-0 in the eighth minute off an assist from Peyton Johnson.
Olivia Witteveen added another goal in the 27th minute before assisting on Grace Prough’s goal less than a minute later as the Bulldogs took a 4-0 lead into halftime.
Valeria Verdin scored off an assist from Constantine Taylor in the 51st minute, while Prough added her second goal of the night in the 67th minute to cap the scoring.
Butcher said the Bulldogs were able to dictate the style and pace of play throughout the evening.
“We controlled possession and played the game at the tempo we wanted throughout, which was what we set out to do,” Butcher said. “We knew we could create a lot of scoring chances if we were patient.”
Butcher also liked the way Otsego’s depth contributed during the second half.
“It was nice to see our role players contribute so much to the game in the second half,” Butcher said. “Those kids work really hard all year and don’t always get as many opportunities to show their skills.”
The Bulldogs were also able to limit minutes for some of their regular starters entering the semifinal round.
“They also allowed us, along with our control of the tempo, to rest some of our key players a bit more than normal,” Butcher said. “That could be massive heading into the semis.”
Zoe Alkire and Hallie Prough split time in goal for Otsego and did not face a shot.
Butcher credited the Bulldogs’ midfield and defensive units for helping maintain control throughout the match.
“Our midfield and back line did an excellent job of ball-winning all evening,” Butcher said. “Though our keepers didn’t have a shot to face, both were very steady in possession for us.”
Butcher praised the Wayland goalkeeper for battling through heavy pressure throughout the match.
“Credit to Wayland’s keeper, as she made some very critical saves under a lot of pressure,” he said.
