MUSKEGON TWP. - The wind just wasn't blowing in the Reeths-Puffer girls soccer team's direction on Friday.
At least in the second half, when the game was on the line.
The Rockets hosted West Ottawa in a cold, heavy wind that was gusting toward one end of the field for the whole game.
R-P attacked that end in the first half and managed to grab a 1-0 halftime lead.
R-P's Jaslynn Kops (11) battles for the ball.
The Rockets had to defend against the wind in the second half and held up as well as they could, but the Panthers managed to score twice and beat R-P 2-1 in a non-conference matchup.
"Me and their coach were joking before the game that it was going to be a tale of two halves," said R-P head coach Kody Harrell about the wind factor. "We controlled the game in the first half and they controlled it in the second.
"It really is like 11 vs. 12 other there when you are playing into a strong wind, but both teams had to play in it for 40 minutes, and they were a little more opportunistic when they had the wind at their back."
The loss was the second in a row for Reeths-Puffer, which fell to 0-2 on the season.
Kops unleashes a shot at the West Ottawa goal.
The game was a lot more competitive than Wednesday's season opener, when the Rockets lost to a great East Grand Rapids squad 6-0.
"We're a little disappointed, because we know we're better than 6-0, and we know we're good enough to hold on to leads," Harrell said. "So it's how we've gotten to 0-2 that's a little disappointing., but we're growing. The overall hustle was better than Wednesday."
Harrell noted that the Rockets still displayed a tendency to start out strong then fade off in each half, which has hurt them in both games.
"We put together a good 15 minutes then start sagging off and give them too much space and time to attack," Harrell said. "When we apply pressure we do really well. It's just about us getting our soccer fitness back. We start out hot then sort of drop off."
R-P's Kiera Ketner (12) hustles to try to stop a West Ottawa player.
The game was pretty even in the first half, with both teams getting several good scoring chances with four shots apiece.
The only goal came just under five minutes into the game when R-P's Abby Hill found the back of the net, with assists from Hannah Potts and Ashlyn David.
The momentum shifted in the second half, however, when the Panthers started attacking with the wind at their backs and kept the pressure on the Rockets.
The Panthers knotted things up at 1-1 with 36:31 left on a goal by Addison Scholten.
R-P's Ashley Bradley (14) tries to keep the ball away from an opponent.
The game winner came with 10:51 remaining when West Ottawa's Heather Cicholski found the mark with a long shot from about 30 yards out.
The Panthers had a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal in the second half.
The score could have been worse, but R-P goalkeeper Sara Carlson made a number of great saves, including one from close range that hit her in the face and left her on the ground for a few long moments.
Carlson got back up and finished the game, which surprised Harrell.
"I was planning on her coming out, but one of the new rules this year is that the goalie is the one player who doesn't have to come off after an injury," Harrell said about Carlson. "She is very tough, physically and mentally. We appreciate her heart. She's been amazing."