T-shirts.
After all, the easy part of Thursday evening was over.
Now it was time for a real workout — one that, believe it or not, involved post-game conditioning.
“(Coach Ken Veilands) wants us to be fit,” said Darton’s Stephanie Daniels, who scored two goals in the game to add to her team-leading total of 24. “I want us to be fit. We just have to do what we have to do to get us to the national championship to win. If this is what it takes, this is what we have to do.”
Against Gordon, Veilands actually fielded one less player than the Lady Cavs’ opponent in an attempt to level uneven sides and split his team into two squads of eight that played half the time in the easy blowout that saw Darton run out to a 9-0 lead after just 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, jokes and laughs filled the Darton sidelines as the clock mercifully ran off.
The next time Darton (13-0 overall, 10-0 in Region XVII) graces its home field will be when the Lady Cavs host the region tournament Oct. 31 — a moment that will go a long way toward redemption from an early national tournament exit last season. Those games — along with two road contests at nationally ranked Schoolcraft and Polk CC in Florida — will be very different.
“That is why we are doing this running and conditioning,” Veilands said.
More of the skills they displayed during Thursday’s rout won’t hurt, either. Audrey Gant, Rachel McQuade, Shakira Duncan, Beth Arnold and Daniels all scored in the first 15 minutes to race to the lead.
“We’ve been working a lot on one touch passing, not dribbling, but making the ball do the work,” said Veilands, whose team has now outscored its opponents, 108-5, on the year. “That was what we wanted them to do and they did.”
Freshman Ali Devito added two goals once the second group entered the game for a 10-0 halftime advantage.
Daniels’ second goal was the lone score of the shortened, mercy-clock second half.
“I told them in the second half, the only way they can score is from outside the 18 (yard-line),” Veilands said.
The powerful right leg of McQuade uncorked some sizzling shots, including one that pinged off the crossbar. But the end of the game was a mere formality.
Still, it made for a
successful debut at No. 1.
“We are not really thinking about it that much,” Daniels said, “We are just focusing on trying to win and not getting too big-headed.”
