Claire Ringenberg Helps to Ring Up an MICDS Soccer Win

Junior Claire Ringenberg has settled in nicely in her role as a midfielder on the MICDS soccer team. She patrols the middle of the field, kind of like she owns that section of the turf. She features slick passing, good defending, and sometimes a sneak up top to add an assist or a goal. The whole thing is part of her overall package. Soccer is in her DNA.

Ringenberg has been delivering the goods of late. Thursday, on the John Burroughs pitch, she scored a goal and an assist, and the Rams beat the Bombers 4-1. MICDS is 11-5, but more importantly, they have won 8 of of their last 9 games.

Ringenberg, who leads the Metro in assists now with 21 didn’t get past the mind of her boss, coach Michael Black.

“Claire works very hard and is very diligent about how she prepares for games. She has done an outstanding job for us,” said the Rams coach.

The game was pretty much in control for MICDS, right from start. Thought MICDS had only one first half goal, most of the first half was played in the Burroughs end of the field.

Izzy Howerton, a junior opened the scoring with an assist by Ringenberg.

In the second half, the Rams parlayed goals by newcomer Amber Jones, a freshman with an assist by another freshman Courtney Kaplan then Ringenberg got the third goal on a high blast from some 30 yards out, over keeper Haley Botteron.

Kaplan got MICDS’ fourth and final goal, and Zoe Smith scored Burroughs only goal, some 13 minutes left in a lopsided match.

“This was a good game. Yes, we got off to a slow start,” said Ringenberg. “We’ve learned that if we work together as a team, we can jell and accomplish a lot. This has been a fun year, and something a little better than expected.”

The Rams turned their goal keeper Torchin Campbell pretty much into the Maytag repair woman. She had scant chances to handle in her end of the field.

“As alway, its nice to win. We did a good job of keeping the pressure up. I like the fact that our young freshman are coming along nice,” Black  reiterated, making reference to Jones and Kaplan.

In post mortem, he told his girls to keep the pressure up. “When we get to districts, things can be difference. One goal might make all the difference in the world,” said their coach.

Burroughs fell to 3-6.