Back on Sept. 11, Kentwood defeated Kentridge by a score of 2-1. Nearly a month later, Kentridge is looking like a new team — a team that is finally starting to put the pieces together to look like a playoff team, a side that made the quarterfinals of the state tournament just a year ago.
The second time these two teams met, Kentridge showed the quality that Head Coach Jeff Fleming has become akin to seeing as they defeated Kentwood 4-1 on Oct. 7.
“We’ve struggled to gain control of the midfield, but we did that tonight defensively and offensively. Then once we got into transition, I thought our movement up top was awesome and we got players that can score up there,” Fleming said.
The team is becoming more connected, and a reason for that is the group is finally starting to learn each other’s playing styles. Their success in the last two games is due to that connectedness they are feeling on the pitch.
“We have just grown so much. I love seeing how much we have grown as a team, I think a lot of it is due to just being around each other, all of our team bonding off the field too. All of our players are just great, they all have the talent. The main thing was getting together and learning how to play together,” senior Makenna Bennett said.
Makenna Bennett fights for possession against Kentwood. Photo by Robby Mullikin
Kentridge began their season with a whole new backline, and after a 2-1 win over Kennedy Catholic before the Kentwood game, the Chargers have won back-to-back games for the first time this season. The defensive unit is starting to figure it out, and that bodes well for Fleming’s group.
“We are still learning how our defense is connected, how to delay and who is going to press and who is communicating. We are getting so much better connection back there. That is probably the biggest thing is we have a solid defense,” Fleming said. “We are able to block shots, we can stay in front, taking the ball out of the air much better. That is the number one growth part of the game for our team.”
Senior midfielder Makenna Bennett, Fleming said, played her best game he’d ever seen her play on Tuesday night. She racked up two goals, both coming in the second half, and was a playmaker for all 80 minutes. But Fleming bumped her up to the 10 position and that really opened her game.
“The adrenaline was just crazy. I felt like it was always there. I felt like I just needed to bring it out. Playing center forward gives me the chance to do that,” Bennett said.
Janae Stephenson tries to flip her direction with the ball. Photo by Robby Mullikin
Kentridge got scoring early. Speedsters Natalia Krall-Cruz and Jenae Stephenson made an immediate impact on the game. A long ball played from Bennett freed Krall-Cruz to attack in a one-on-none scenario. Kentwood keeper Kya Anderson made a great initial save on Krall-Cruz, but Stephenson was there to put the ball in the back of the net.
“She was really energized. This was one of the first times during warmups I said ‘You have it tonight, you got something going on today.’ There was a little extra twitch to it tonight, so I like that,” Fleming said.
Just two minutes later, after being fouled, Stephenson lined up a free kick from 40-yards away. The junior forward took aim on the Kentwood goal and launched her shot that caught Anderson off guard, and the Chargers took a quick 2-0 lead inside of five minutes.
“That was pretty special. We don’t have too many players that can make that kick,” Fleming said.
Kentridge frustrated the Conk attack all night and especially in the first half. After losing five games by just one goal, the Chargers have finally found their groove. It all came down to understanding how each player functioned on the field because the talent has always been there.
“Being able to defense and take away opportunities is where I have seen our growth,” Fleming said.
In the second half, Kentridge still threatened Kentwood, but there was a focus shift on possessing the ball and minimizing damage.
Ten minutes into the first half, Bennett scored her first goal of the night. She was shoved from behind inside the penalty area and took the penalty kick and slotted it right past a diving Anderson.
Natalia Krall-Cruz kicks the ball out of bounds defending in the first half. Photo by Robby Mullikin
Down 3-0, Kentwood found some life from Diya Thomas and Alyssa Cromwell, just when it looked like the Conks could fight back and possibly get some late momentum. But Kentridge goalkeeper Mackenzie Coble saved a penalty from Thomas and was fired up about it.
“She’s fired up all the time, that’s her. That was big because momentum could swing in a hurry, there was still a lot of time at that point. That’s not easy standing there taking a shot. The player shooting (Thomas) is pretty darn good too,” Fleming said.
Later in the second half, Coble wasn’t as lucky as Kentwood received another penalty kick due this time to a handball. Thomas made no mistake this time and put Kentwood on the board in the 73rd minute. Kentridge’s response came from Bennett as it had all night and just before stoppage time, she launched a shot from the left side of the 18-yard box.
There are six games remaining and Kentridge has yet to face Auburn Riverside, Tahoma and Stadium and Kennedy a second time.
“I think we just need to continue to grow. A lot of our past games we lost by a goal or two, I think those are all winnable games. I think we have a very solid chance to win the rest of our games,” Bennett said.
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