Perspective is a matter of where you stand. When you are a goalie, the penalty box and goal itself are a vast expanse of real estate. When the cleat is on the other foot, forwards and strikers find it hard to believe that something that appears so big is oftentimes so hard to hit.
So was the case of the Wood River boys' soccer team (1-3, 0-1 league) at Minico on Wednesday, as the Wolverines outshot the Spartans 18-8, but wound up on the short end of a 3-1 result.
"The team looks good and is playing well together," coach Matt Phillips said. "We did all the right things, but the one thing we are missing is finishing."
Minico scored 11 minutes into the opening half, but Wood River's Austin Cruz, with an assist from French foreign exchange student Thomas Goettleman, answered almost immediately with a goal at the 18-minute mark to make it 1-1. The Spartans converted a free kick to lead 2-1 at halftime.
"It was poorly marked on our behalf," Phillips remarked.
Minico made it 3-1 with 20 minutes remaining on what Phillips called a "very pretty goal in the upper left corner."
Despite the loss, Phillips was upbeat and expressed optimism about the game and how he feels about the remainder of the season.
"We really outplayed them and looked good. We are in a good position for the season. The kids work well together and we just need to finish."
Wood River's undefeated jayvee squad, coached by Luis Monjaras, recorded a 4-0 victory over Minico and defeated The Community School 4-1 Tuesday.