Thornton – Considering the conditions, it’s understandable Palmer took awhile to warm up to Northglenn’s defense Wednesday night.
Surrounded by a ring of snow at frosty Five Star Stadium, the seventh-ranked Terrors struggled to find the gaps in the Norse’s flat-back four defense for all but an eight-minute span on either side of halftime.
The Terrors scored a fluke goal in the 35th minute and the game-winner in the 43rd from Rachel Gardner as they held on for a 2-1 victory over the Norse in a Class 5A nonleague game.
“We battled with it,” Palmer coach Jim Keller said of Northglenn’s defense. “We maybe should have finished a couple of opportunities a little earlier in the game, but we didn’t. … It was good for us to see that defensive set with so many people behind the ball.”
Sophomore substitute Diana Ford scored Palmer’s first goal as the Norse (4-1) won their fourth straight game. Northglenn, which fought back in the waning minutes with a goal from freshman Shelby Griego, dropped to 3-1-1.
Thanks largely to its possession midfield, Palmer maintained control from the onset and outshot the Norse 9-1 in the first half. But Northglenn’s defensive wall that often stretched five across limited the Terrors to long-range efforts.
Defensively, the Terrors kept speedy Northglenn standout Justine Montoya in check, although teammate Kayla Ramirez had the game’s first scoring opportunity in the 22nd minute.
Ramirez got loose behind the Palmer defense with a long run only to be denied at close range by an acrobatic save by Palmer senior goalie Kristin Parrinella.
It was the kind of counterattack that could have turned the game.
“We’re not a skilled enough team offensively where we can afford to miss those chances,” Norse coach Chad Eisentrager said. “We have to finish those chances.”
The Terrors finally broke through five minutes before halftime on an innocuous-looking ball played toward Northglenn goalie Raesha Moss. With two Palmer players bearing down on her, Moss slid sideways to block the ball but had it bounce out to Ford, who swiveled and powered the ball into the vacant net.
The Terrors doubled their advantage just three minutes after halftime when Gardner and midfielder Emily Layton split the Norse defense with a well-timed pass. Gardner steamed down the middle of the field and fired a shot past an onrushing Moss for the goal.
Palmer 1 1 – 2
Northglenn 0 1 – 1
Goals – P: Ford (unassisted), 35th minute; Gardner (Layton), 43rd; N: Griego (unassisted), 77th.
Shots on goal – Palmer 9-4 – 13; Northglenn 1-1 – 2.
Saves – Palmer (Parrinella) 1-0 – 1; Northglenn (Moss) 8-3 – 11.
Offsides – Palmer 2-1 – 3; Northglenn 0-0 – 0. Corner kicks – Palmer 1-1 – 2; Northglenn 1-1 – 2. Fouls – Palmer 8-5 – 13; Northglenn 5-9 – 14. Yellow cards – Townley, P, 48th minute; Chitwood, N, 66th.
