Navara scores, but Lady Zs cannot make up early deficit in loss to Manchester

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Rochester girls soccer coach Eric Backus liked the final 70 minutes of the Lady Zs’ game with visiting Manchester at the Brent Blacketor Memorial Sports Complex Monday.

It is the first 10 minutes he would like to have back.

Aeryn Klose scored twice as the Lady Squires edged Rochester 2-1.

Rachel Eberly and Raimi Vawter had one assist each.

Taylor Navara scored her team-leading 12th goal for Rochester on an assist from Brisa Rensberger.

Navara took a throw-in and took it into the box and fired a shot past goalkeeper Shiann Owens.

Manchester held on after building a 2-0 lead at halftime.

“I basically just let the girls know that we weren't ready for the first 10 minutes, and that’s where they got their first two goals,” Backus said. “And then we played them 1-0 for 70 minutes. It’s one of them things when you play a good team, you’ve got to come out ready to play from the get-go, and we did not. We gave them two quick ones within about six minutes, and then we finally woke up and started playing better soccer. It wasn’t great, but it was better.

“I thought we played well. That first 10 minutes were just rough. I thought it was going to get real ugly, real quick, but then we settled down and started communicating better and started playing better passes and started getting actual looks. We were just missing. And that’s the thing with good teams: You can’t just miss. You’ve got to connect on those through balls and get your touch right. That way you can get a shot off.”

Backus praised Navara’s improvement. Her goal was the first goal that any Rochester player has scored against Manchester since 2021.

“I’ve always thought she’s a good player,” Backus said. “It’s just little things to tweak her game. Instead of taking her touch out wide, take her touch more to the middle, so you have more of the frame you can take your shot on. She’s fast, she’s got a pretty good touch, she’s got a decent leg. She’s one of the girls on the team that’s looking to potentially go play at the next level, and I think if she gets better at just a couple things, I think she would be good at the next level.”

Backus said Manchester tried a lot of through balls. He said the halftime adjustment was to drop and run with the striker as soon as they started to run.

“I thought we did better the second half,” Backus said. “I do think it got a little physical in the second half. There was a lot of pushing. … If the official’s calling it the same, I’m OK with it, but we’re not really that big of a team to get physical, so it kind of worked a little bit in Manchester’s advantage. But kudos to them. If they’re playing physical and the ref’s not calling it, be physical then.”

Backus also said Manchester was in “very good condition” and that they were difficult to wear down. Backus often will sub in five players at a time, relying on depth to tire opponents.

Backus said the team’s depth was especially helpful in the heat. But temperatures Monday were in the low 60s, the coolest they have been this season.

“Effort-wise, I thought the effort was there,” Backus said. “We struggled a little with communication tonight. You’re not going to beat good teams if you can’t communicate well in the field and be able to move the ball and generate good offense. 

“My defense was playing well. We didn’t do anything crazy. The first 10 minutes, we let that girl run through and get a couple really great shots off. Klose, she’s tough. She’s one of the better girls I’ve seen all year.”

Rochester hosts Peru Thursday and travels to Northwestern Thursday. Northwestern is 13-0 in TRC since joining the conference in 2024. At 3-0, they are the only remaining unbeaten in the conference.

“I just told the girls, I said, ‘Don’t hang your head,’” Backus said. “We’ve still got Peru, and we’ve still got Northwestern, so we still have a shot at tying (for) conference if we win out our last two games. Maybe Maconaquah can knock them off? Stranger things can happen.”