Sault Ste. Marie’s Sidney Wilkins, right, and Marquette’s Katja Wilhelms chase after the ball Wednesday evening, May 9, 2018, at the Kaufman Sports Complex in Marquette. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)

MARQUETTE — There were many cancellations Wednesday around Marquette County, but the Marquette girls soccer team toughed it out in the rain at the Kaufman Sports Complex.

The game against Sault Ste. Marie was a frustrating one for the Redettes as they had to not only battle the elements, but also missed opportunities.

Throughout the game, Marquette had multiple chances to get on the board, but the ball would either sail just wide of the net or the Soo goalkeeper would just get a hand on it.

But on their last scoring chance, the Redettes made it count. With just a few seconds left, junior forward Lauren Kurzawa took a pass from Olivia Arnsten, weaved around the sliding Blue Devils goalie and fired a shot inside the far post to give Marquette a 1-0 victory.

“I got a good pass from one of my teammates and I saw a spot,” Kurzawa said. “I was patient and I’ve done that before and I’ve lost it and shot it right at the keeper. So I knew what I needed to do and took it around her and just prayed that I got it in.”

Redettes head coach Anna Duckworth was happy not just because Kurzawa’s goal won the game, but because her team had so many chances to score before their efforts were rewarded.

“I’m glad we got it because I feel like we possessed the ball the whole game and we had a whole bunch of other chances where we literally just had to tap it in the goal, but we couldn’t,” she said. “It was a nice pass from Olivia, and Lauren uses her speed really well.”

In the first half, Marquette got good looks at the net and most of them came from the foot of forward Ivy Pickard.

She had a good rush at the net early, but her shot was blocked in the box and her rebound attempt rolled just wide. She also tried to bend a long shot toward the net, but the Soo keeper made a leaping save to deny her.

The Blue Devils did a better job offensively in the second half as they were able to set up some decent chances, but Marquette took control again as things wore on.

Unfortunately for Marquette, the shots just didn’t go in as rebounds were deflected out of bounds. The Redettes’ best chance before Kurzawa’s tally came from Pickard, who sent a long shot on net that just went off the goalie’s fingertips and out of play.

“I like Lauren as a forward because when she puts her head down, she just goes for it,” Duckworth said. “She uses her speed really well and I like her and Ivy up there. They work really well together communicating and they work well using their speed.”

So far, Duckworth likes how her team is looking and feels they continue to get better.

“I feel like we have a somewhat younger team, so we’re still learning,” she said. “I think last year we have a lot of seniors, so we’ve kind of had to build up some players to try to fill some shoes.

“We’re improving each game and we’re a good team that works together. We sometimes pass the ball too much, but it’s good to see that they’re working together.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.