The previous week’s loss to Dakota knocked the wind out of the sails for the Albert Lea U-14 Classic 2 girls’ soccer team.

This enabled Rochester 2, a team the locals had beaten in a season opening tournament, to get two unanswered goals off the listless locals. Snapping out of it, the Elks stepped up against division-leading Rochester 1, but hadn’t fully recovered, so Albert Lea dropped its third straight game.

The locals decided, &uot;No more.&uot;

Lakeville 2 is fast and physical, but Albert Lea wanted it more. Scrapping on the hardscrabble field for every advantage and every opportunity, the locals turned it on and took the hot tamales down on a pair of goals from midfielder Whitney Wilson.

Cellar dweller Bloomington gave the team a much-needed lift. The rejuvenated Elks mostly played a half-field game, taking turns at target practice on the Blizzard’s goal. Scoring for the Elks was Nicole Ball, Kendra Olchefske, Jackie Rehmke, Tiffany Schrader, Leah Walters and Whitney Wilson. Bloomington prevented a shutout when a shot deflected into the Albert Lea goal off a defender’s leg. The biggest Elks loss came late in the game when forward Jill Freeman went down with a knee injury after colliding with a Bloomington player, sidelining her for at least the rest of the regular season.

Burnsville proved the old adage, &uot;The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Every girl on the Fire team looked two years older and two years bigger than Albert Lea’s girls. But their size didn’t match their skill, with the Elks effectively controlling play from whistle to whistle. Midfielder Walters, second in goals this season, made the opening score.

Capping off the game, stopper Olchefske ran a slant pattern from midfield and drove a shot over the goalie from beyond the box.

There is great danger in relying upon a gifted player at the expense of developing a balanced team.

Winona lost its star forward the night before and had not yet adjusted. The locals played them tough and played them deep, with the Elks defense frequently 5 yards past midfield. Playing so aggressively is a sword that cuts both ways.

The locals got their goal on a defensive deflection and got a good scare when a Winona player executed a successful breakaway. Only an aggressive response by goalie Amanda Arends prevented a tie game.

With the win over Winona, the 7-3-0 Elks leaped into third place in the Southern Division.