MONROE - Listening to Monroe junior Gabby Ludwig describe Monroe's first win, 3-1 over Milton Thursday, April 25 was like watching someone craving a sundae on a hot summer day.
Ludwig scored two goals to lead the Cheesemakers to their first win and the first win against Milton in the history of the program.
"I think that just puts the cherry on top," Ludwig said. "It just shows that we wanted it, especially since it was a conference game."
Monroe (1-3, 1-1 Badger South) got on the board early on with sophomore Emily Frankowski scoring a goal on an assist from Ludwig to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead at 18 minutes, 17 seconds.
The Cheesemakers dominated the shots on goal in the first half, but led just 1-0. Ludwig changed that in the second half. She scored on a shot that she popped up over Milton's goalkeeper and into the back of the net at 41:19. The goal was set up by a pass from Kelley Baumann.
"I was just a little flustered," Ludwig said. "I shot the ball and it went up and went off the goalie's fingertips over the top post and in. I felt good when we got up by one goal. We still had to work hard and keep pressuring the ball because they could have came back."
Ludwig put the Red Hawks away by beating a diving goalkeeper and scoring on a low-lining shot to the far post.
"We stepped up against Monona Grove and got into a groove," Ludwig said. "We had good communication and teamwork. We have been working on passing and keeping the ball down and it is starting to pay off."
Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill liked the strides the Cheesemakers have made on offense.
"We have been working on a lot of combinations," O'Neill said. "All of those goals were from great combination plays. We really needed to get a win. It's nice to win on your home field and it's a conference game."
Monroe junior Shyanna Kelley had 11 saves and made a diving save in the 15th minute to keep the game scoreless. Kelley is in her first year as the varsity goalkeeper after playing on the junior varsity team last year.
"It's good to know that my team and coach think I can do it," Kelley said.
Kelley said the biggest adjustment was getting used to players with a stronger skill level.
"Varsity games are a lot faster paced than JV," she said. "You have to have speed and quickness getting to the ball. That all goes into it."
O'Neill likes the way Kelley has developed and is confident she will continue to improve.
"Shyanna is playing better every day and getting more confident," O'Neill said. "She is working better with her defense and organizing her defense better."
Ludwig scored two goals to lead the Cheesemakers to their first win and the first win against Milton in the history of the program.
"I think that just puts the cherry on top," Ludwig said. "It just shows that we wanted it, especially since it was a conference game."
Monroe (1-3, 1-1 Badger South) got on the board early on with sophomore Emily Frankowski scoring a goal on an assist from Ludwig to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead at 18 minutes, 17 seconds.
The Cheesemakers dominated the shots on goal in the first half, but led just 1-0. Ludwig changed that in the second half. She scored on a shot that she popped up over Milton's goalkeeper and into the back of the net at 41:19. The goal was set up by a pass from Kelley Baumann.
"I was just a little flustered," Ludwig said. "I shot the ball and it went up and went off the goalie's fingertips over the top post and in. I felt good when we got up by one goal. We still had to work hard and keep pressuring the ball because they could have came back."
Ludwig put the Red Hawks away by beating a diving goalkeeper and scoring on a low-lining shot to the far post.
"We stepped up against Monona Grove and got into a groove," Ludwig said. "We had good communication and teamwork. We have been working on passing and keeping the ball down and it is starting to pay off."
Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill liked the strides the Cheesemakers have made on offense.
"We have been working on a lot of combinations," O'Neill said. "All of those goals were from great combination plays. We really needed to get a win. It's nice to win on your home field and it's a conference game."
Monroe junior Shyanna Kelley had 11 saves and made a diving save in the 15th minute to keep the game scoreless. Kelley is in her first year as the varsity goalkeeper after playing on the junior varsity team last year.
"It's good to know that my team and coach think I can do it," Kelley said.
Kelley said the biggest adjustment was getting used to players with a stronger skill level.
"Varsity games are a lot faster paced than JV," she said. "You have to have speed and quickness getting to the ball. That all goes into it."
O'Neill likes the way Kelley has developed and is confident she will continue to improve.
"Shyanna is playing better every day and getting more confident," O'Neill said. "She is working better with her defense and organizing her defense better."
