Bryan girls soccer team holds off Rudder

It took the Bryan Lady Vikings all of the 2011 season to pick up seven victories.

In 2012, they are 7-0 after a 2-1 victory over Rudder on Friday at Merrill Green Stadium.

"Last year at this point, people were hurt, frustrated, down, banged up and weren't really playing really well," Bryan soccer coach Amy Pettibone said. "To be at this point with this group is phenomenal. If you had asked me in the fall if I thought we could start the season at 7-0, I would have called you crazy."

The teams had few first-half scoring opportunities until a Tori Brown shot rebounded off the hands of Rudder goalkeeper Bianca Amador. From the backside of the play, Bryan sophomore Emily Desern had time to line up the shot, hitting the net with 12:10 left in the first half for a 1-0 Bryan lead.

Less than four minutes later, Kacy Shea's perfectly-placed 35-yard free kick ticked high off the fingetips of Rudder's Amador for a 2-0 lead.

"I told them at halftime that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead that there is in soccer, because one goal can change momentum," Pettibone said. "I thought that Rudder came out in the second half and really stepped up their game. I think this is what we needed, a push and a challenge."

With a south wind favoring them, Rudder indeed opened the second half with a strong push. Rudder's Ashley Atkins made a long run but misfired on a left-footed attempt. Mara Boyd also headed a ball to Atkins, whose shot went wide.

A good corner kick from Boyd then set the stage for Rudder's only goal. Bryan senior goalkeeper Ana Meyer fisted away Boyd's low-driving kick. Layne Lampley's shot attempt threaded the Lady Viking defenders, and Jenna Galliher knocked it in with 17:31 left to cut Bryan's lead to 2-1.

"What we were happy about is that they were playing hard, even when it wasn't going our way," Rudder coach Nate Hutchinson said. "They just kept playing hard, and it started paying off in the second half."

Bryan will open their Brazos Valley Cup against Magnolia West on Thursday. Rudder (0-3-2) will play at Brookshire Royal on Tuesday.

The two goals matched Bryan's lowest output this season, but the Lady Vikings had numerous late chances to add insurance goals.

Amador made a superb play to stop a header by Brittany Little. Bryan's Minerva Romero pushed a pass through to Saori Rosas after Amador had been pulled not only of her goal but completely out of the penalty box, but Rosas was unable to convert. Brown had a high-driving shot that Amador barely stopped, and Little looped a shot over the top of her head that nearly pushed the Rudder goalie across her line to score.

"One of our starting defenders is hurt, Lilly Plagens, and we weren't sure whether we would get her back tonight," Hutchinson said. "The girls who moved into that spot did a good job."