In sports, success is most often measured by wins.  When a team out scores the competition, it’s easy to see that it is successful.  But that shouldn’t be the only metric used to gauge a team’s success.  The Lady Dragon soccer team has seen its fair share of success this season as they carry a winning record with multiple victories over Firth, South Fremont, Aberdeen and Idaho Falls.  However, maybe the best demonstration of their growth and success as a team came in a game that they didn’t win.

The twice annual matchup between the Malad Lady Dragons and the American Falls Beavers can be summed up as intense, aggressive and sometimes, almost hostile.  They could often be considered a blow out.  With a larger pool of athletes to draw from and a more experienced program, it’s plain to see that they are a force to be reckoned with on the field.  The skilled coaches and athletes often find themselves qualifying and competing in the final state tournaments because they are just that good.  And when they go up against the smaller, less experienced MHS, they usually dominate.

But it just wasn’t quite the same this year.

The Lady Dragons hosted the Beavers in their first game for the 2024 season on Wednesday, September 18.  On the cool fall evening, Malad pushed American Falls in a way they hadn’t seen for several years.  Their defense was aggressive, moving up to the ball to attack rather than waiting for the offense to come to them.  Their footwork was fast to block the simplest dribbling or passes, requiring AF to dig into their bag of tricks.  

On offense, the Lady Dragons covered the field with speed and agility to quickly move the ball up and down the pitch.  Their movement, communication, passing, and ball handling were some of the best they have ever had, truly testing the Beaver defense.

And the result?  Holding American Falls to only 3 goals and scoring 1!  A 1-3 loss might sound disheartening to some, but the MHS team and Head Coach Shenell Clark celebrated such a feat.  “I’m just so pleased and so proud of this team.  Today’s game really demonstrated our progress this year.  There have been things we have been really trying to teach and get to sink in and we could see them doing those things,” shared Coach Clark after the game.

The one Malad goal was scored by Paige Talbot more than halfway into the second half of the game.  Ahead of nearly all the American Falls defenders, Talbot took her shot head on to the goal to watch it fly past the goalkeeper.  Talbot as well as other MHS shooters had worked throughout the fast paced game to crash the goal or sprint to the goal anytime a shot was taken, a principle their coaches had pushed throughout the season.  The practice might have seemed futile, running for the ball only to see the opposing goalkeeper scoop up the ball before even having a chance to boot it in.  But it was that practiced drill that gave Talbot the shot she needed to score.

“That’s exactly why we teach them to always keep running to the goal.  You never know if the keeper is going to miss the catch or bobble the ball or maybe just a different shot that will go in.  It’s really exciting to see them learn and implement those things we are teaching them,” continued Coach Clark.

The following day, the Lady Dragons traveled to Driggs to battle it out against the Teton Timberwolves.  In the close game, Teton was able to pull ahead 1-4.  Malad had several days off before their next big game against the Idaho Falls Tigers on their home turf Monday, September 23.  The MHS team left everything on the field as they won out over the 5A team 2-1.

In a game defined by low scores, few organized plays and fast possession changes, it can be hard to really know how a team is shaping up.  But looking over their season, it’s far easier to see that the Lady Dragons are becoming their own threat on the field that won’t back down to
any team.