Trinity Tri Hawks

The Tri Hawks broke out of their scoring slump in style, handing Spectrum a 5-1 loss in their conference opener. The Tri Hawks had to overcome being without Anna Mayer, Maria Kisch and Sam, and with both Laura and Bekah playing limited minutes – not to mention a ten minute warmup after more than an hour on the road getting up to Elk River. But Anna Frenz gave the Tri Hawks the lead with a breakaway in the Big 5 and Trinity never trailed. The Tri Hawks struggled to dominate and keep possession in the middle of the pitch, and the Sting created far too many dangerous chances, but Trinity was able to dominate with great wide play in the final third and very efficient finishing in front of net.

Of particular note was the players making their first formation shift on the fly. Late in the second half the players on the field read the game and a chance to press the attack, and slid Bekah from Center Back to Attacking Center Mid, with Anna pushing from Attacking Center Mid to Forward and shifting the whole team from a 4-2-3-1 into a 3-5-2. The team is relatively comfortable in each of the three systems we play, and indeed we have played all three in every game this season. But this was the first time they recognized the moment and initiated the change themselves. This kind of tactical savvy, flexibility, confidence, and ownership is exactly what we are working for this season. The Beautiful Game is a player’s game, and this group is realizing that in a way few teams do.

Anna Frenz scored four goals on the day, her first hat trick of the season, en route to Angry Bird honors. Anna was aggressive on the attack and cool and collected in her finishing. Player of the Game Liz Olson terrorized the Spectrum defense, repeatedly winning the ball and schooling them around the outside before laying in beautiful crosses, including a gorgeous assist to Grace for her first varsity goal.

It is fortunate that the Tri Hawks started the season with a roster of 17, because with Maria Kisch and Catherine Putzier joining Anna Mayer on the bench, Grace out of town, and Sam and Anna Frenz relegated to the bench by in-game injuries, they limped to the finish of their first home game with only 11 players! Both teams had great chances, but the Tri Hawks clearly had the better of play for most of regulation and overtime. They earned 2-3 good looks for every dangerous chance from St. Croix Lutheran. Unfortunately, they simply could not find the back of the net, and remain scoreless on the season with this 0-0 tie.

Liz Olson again took home Angry Bird honors, fighting with everything she had through all 90 minutes without a sub. Maria Lotti was named Player of the Game as she earned her first career shutout by making several fantastic saves to keep the Tri Hawks in the game.

The Tri Hawks hung with a veteran South St. Paul team, fresh off an impressive victory over St. Paul Academy, for the entire first half. The Packers scored first off a long range shot and missed a penalty kick, but the Tri Hawks got a few good looks at the goal themselves and their keeper barely kept Grace from knotting the score before the break. South St. Paul began to wear down Trinity in the second half with their pace and physical play, and when both Maria Kisch and Bekah Bittner were knocked out of the game with injuries it proved too much too overcome. A series of defensive miscues led to 4 more second half goals for the Packers and the pressure they applied could easily have led to even more.

Catherine Putzier scraped and clawed all game long, never giving up on the play in the middle of the field, and ended up taking home the Angry Bird award. AnneMarie was named Player of the Game for her tireless and unceasing effort at center back. In a game where the defense was under constant pressure, AnneMarie played every minute and repeatedly saved the team with her hustle and courage.

In their second game of the season, Trinity ran into a buzz saw in long time nemesis Visitation, a probable Top 10 team this year and fielding 8 seniors and 3 All State players. Trinity created several good chances, but could not convert any and their errors were punished by an aggressive, fast and physical Blazers team. Although the final score was 7-0, you would never have known it from the play. The Tri Hawks scraped and clawed and battled all the way to the final whistle.

Liz Olson took home the Angry Bird, and the admiration of the Visitation coach, who said she was “a great player” and “made us look silly several times.” Maria Kisch was named Player of the Game, not only for the quality of her play but for her constant encouragement in keeping the team energized and focused.

The Tri Hawks opened the school year and the season on the same day, never a good proposition. After a long day at school they came out a bit sluggish against Highland Park, and surrendered a goal 18 minutes in. The first half was just a bit off, as Trinity did create some chances, but struggled to connect passes and dominate midfield as they usually do. Much of the period was spent with a cobbled together lineup with several players out of position due to flareups of nagging injuries. A much stronger second half saw several really strong chances for the visiting Tri Hawks, and they outshot the Scots 6-4 on the night, but they just could not find the equalizer and finished with a 0-1 loss.

Clare Marie Patros captured both Angry Bird and Player of the Game honors, turning in arguably her finest game yet. She was solid at outside back, playing every minute of the second half while repeatedly winning 1v1s and playing the ball out smartly.