Wave, Incline battle to a tie

The Lady Wave showed more grit and intensity during Saturday’s Northern 3A soccer match against Incline.

While the defense did its job and shut down the visiting Highlanders, the Fallon offense struggled and missed several opportunities to score a goal.

The result: Fallon, 0-5-5 overall and 0-4-4 in league, tied Incline in a scoreless match at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.

“We focused on competitiveness and grit,” said coach Lance Lattin after the match.

Lattin said Fallon revealed more resolve than what the players showed against South Tahoe earlier in the week. The veteran Fallon coach said he was pleased how the players moved the ball better from the inside to the wings.

“The girls worked pretty hard today,” Lattin pointed out, “I felt we made progress in possession … the girls felt good about their play.

While Incline’s only scoring threat occurred in the first half, Fallon had several opportunities in each half to take a lead.

Co-captain Savannah Sweeney played defender and provided stability in the backfield, Lattin said. He also gave credit to Kenna Hamlin for her passing.

“Both goalkeepers were strong,” Lattin said of both teams. “Adelle Brown (Fallon) had a very consistent performance. She’s improving steadily.”

Likewise, Incline coach Tom Canino said both teams played a hard match. Incline was also short of a half dozen players who were on an educational trip.

Canino praised captain Maddie Wallner for her ball control. He said the players did a good job of sprucing out the offense when attacking the ball. He also praised his goalkeeper for an outstanding game for stopping any ball close to her.