LAS VEGAS - There was a popular theme in all of the early Las Vegas College Showcase matches played Friday at Kellogg Zaher Complex.

When playing with the wind - be aggressive. When playing against it - be careful.

The morning and early afternoon gusts clearly effected the matches and it was no wonder that the same teams who thrived during successful first halves struggled mightily in the latter stages.

The U17 Dallas Sting waded their way through the first 15 minutes of their match against the talented Slammers FC, before picking things up once the wind died down.

In one of the better matches of the day, the Sting broke through with a late goal from Kathryn Watson via a corner kick for a 1-0 victory.

Afterward, Watson talked about battling the elements and the Slammers.

“I’m really happy. We’ve been struggling and this gets us out of our ditch. It was a good win,” Watson said. “At halftime we decided to get the ball on the ground so we could play our outside midfielders and get them to play to the forwards from there. We have fast forwards.

“The first 15 minutes (the wind was pretty strong). When it’s that way you have to drop back so the ball doesn’t go over your head and you can keep everything in front of you.”

The Slammers certainly had their chances to keep the Sting in front of them. Sierra Mack had a couple of good looks at scores in the second half, and the team as a whole moved the ball fluidly behind the likes of midfielder Zoe Dickson and speedy forward Natalia Ledezma.

Defender Mia Bruno also had a strong performance and won her share of balls.

Other standouts for the Sting included: forward Emily Reid, McKenzie Sauerwein, Danielle Nottingham, Loreli Ramsey and Samantha Howell.


OTHER STARS OF THE DAY
Courtney Garcia, U17 Scampers FC forward: Heading to USC next season, the creative striker is quick to the ball and knows what to do with it. She created several opportunities for her teammates in a loss Friday, and was a threat every time she touched the ball.

Erin Ahmed, U17 Solar Texas North forward: With size and skill, Ahmed put on a show during her team’s highly competitive match. She showed off countless one-on-one moves including a couple where she sent the ball through the wickets of her confounded defenders.  

Shelby Oelschlager U15 Sereno SC defender: She’s a great marker with a nose for the ball. She showed off some attacking skill Friday and was a threat on each of Sereno’s set pieces.

FIELDS
Besides the wind, one of the other adjustments some teams had to cope with were the varying fields. While most of the surfaces were pristine artificial turf, there were a few that were natural grass - and the disparity between the two was one that was noted by a few parents and coaches.

After his U17 Solar Texas North fought to an 0-0 stalemate against FC Portland Purple, coach Nick Stavrou made mention of the field his team struggled on.

“I thought the field would be in better condition,” he said. “It made it more difficult than we’d hoped and it was tough to string together some passes. I guess both teams had to play on it, though.”

 

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