LEISING, FISCHER FORM DOMINATING DUO FOR KENT ROOSEVELT GIRLS SOCCER TEAM Published: September 23, 2014 4:00AM By Sara Welch | Staff Writer The Kent Roosevelt girls soccer team has been playing at an elevated level of dominance this season and much of the credit goes to junior Keeley Leising and freshman Kayla Fischer. As a team the Rough Riders, who improved to 8-1-1 with a 6-0 win over Cuyahoga Falls on Monday have scored 48 goals in 10 games -- and 37 of those goals belong to Leising and Fischer. In fact, Fischer set the schools single-season scoring record after only eight games, breaking the mark previously held by Erin Waples -- now an assistant coach under head coach Curtis Ahrens. The electric duo has also accounted for 18 of the teams 29 assists this season. Breaking the stats down individually, Leising has had three hat tricks on her way to 15 goals total, with 13 assists. Fischers goal total is up to 22 after scoring two more on Monday. As were continuing through the season, theyre continuing their dominance in the league and not only in the PTC, but outside the league in our Division I games that are preparing us for the district tournament, Ahrens said. Theyve shown us that theyve been able to step up and be at the top of the team. Neither one of these girls miss a day of practice or miss minutes played. Theyre always out there giving it their all before and after practice and games, Ahrens said. And it is not only Northeast Ohio that is recognizing the talent of Leising and Fischer. Fischer will be recognized in Fridays issue of Sports Illustrated in the publications Faces in the Crowd section. While the Rough Riders play as a unit, and everyone has contributed to the teams success, its undeniable that the light-hearted and determined spirits of Leising and Fischer have ignited a tangible chemistry within the team. It shows on the field, Ahrens said of the on-field chemistry. Its the biggest thing they bring to the table. They dont even have to talk to each other when their out there. Theyre very humble with their success and the other girls really look to that and they see that as a good quality and they really respect them. One thing weve really lacked in the last year or two was scoring goals, and for this year, those two have really brought that and it has helped us see the success the team deserves, Ahrens said. At the end of last season, Ahrens challenged Leising to take her game to the next level and work on being strong with both her left and her right foot. Coming back this season, it was evident that she took his advice to heart and immensely helped her soccer game along the way. Now shes clinical in her finishing from either her right or her left foot, Ahrens said. She takes most all of our free kicks and all of our penalty kicks. Shes one of those girls that just naturally knows the game. She knows not only everything from where to be and when to be on the field, but she knows how to read a game with clock management and time management. Leisings depth showed most prominently in a Sept. 13 matchup at Twinsburg. The junior traded scoring opportunities for defensive support to help the Rough Riders secure a 1-1 tie against the once-state ranked Tigers. The game against Twinsburg, along with others on the schedule like Saturdays showdown with the states top-ranked Hudson Explorers, were all part of Ahrens intension to schedule tougher opponents. And his team has responded. Ive been waiting for Kayla to come up and play with me at the high school for a couple years now, Leising said of her teammate. Ive been expecting a season where we would have a better season than what weve had previously, but I guess I wasnt expecting us to come out and be this strong and to have the potential to go far in the playoffs. The pair have honed their non-verbal communication so much that all Leising has to do is look at Fischer to know where to play the ball, how fast to play it and where to place the ball to allow Fischer to score. I didnt know what to expect at first, but it just got to the point where we all know how to play together, Fischer said. Compared to the first game we played this season, and the most recent, weve gotten a lot better as a team. Scheduled for a move into the challenging Suburban League at the start of the 2015 season, the Rough Riders have made it a priority to close their time in the PTC with a Metro Division title. We know were going into a harder league next year, so winning the PTC championship this year would give us momentum for next season, Fischer said. Roosevelt has also set goals to make a postseason push, but also know that they will be slotted into a difficult bracket that features state powerhouse Walsh Jesuit. My hopes are that we push to get as far as we can in the postseason, Leising said. Making it out of districts and maybe even to states would be a huge accomplishment for us. It would be something this school has never seen before in girls soccer.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 06:02:31 +0000
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