Photo by Daniel Olson Marshall forward Madelyn Hoefer (10) dribbles around Fairmont defender Audrina Suckow during a Big South Conference girls softball game in Fairmont on Thursday night.

FAIRMONT – In a game marked by pouring rain and whipping wind, the Fairmont Cardinals eked out a win versus the Marshall Tigers 3-2.

With tip-off occurring under such conditions, the action was suitably wild from the start. The first goal came in the first minute. Junior Mataya Weber made the move and found open player and her younger sister, Sophomore Lianna Weber, who made the first shot of the game.

The Tigers fired back right away in the third minute. Freshman Brynlee Dieken made the play, getting the ball to Ariana Arevalo, who found the back of the net and tied the game up.

With 10 minutes off the clock, Fairmont was able to make a decisive move to put them up 2-1. Junior Mollie Leiding made it into the open space and scored the unassisted shot.

After back-and-forth battling for 14 minutes, Cardinals Junior Addyson Urban made it to the net with some fancy footwork and scored the goal to make it 3-1.

It was the Tigers who garnered momentum before the second half. The freshman passing blitz continued, as Leah Wing found the open player in Sophomore Elsie Deutz, who got it past the goalkeeper to make it 3-2.

Each side would have ample possession time in the second half, but while there were several shots on goal, including multiple chances by Marshall in the waning minutes, the score remained at 3-2 to end the game.

Fairmont Head Coach Matt Nielsen said this game played into one of his points of emphasis with his players.

“Controlling your controllables,” he said. “Tonight was heavy rain, wind, kind of cold. Not one of my players complained about it. They played through it. They worried about their game. I think that was a big deal.”

With a grueling test like this coming early in the season, Nielsen said he saw great results.

“It doesn’t just help them tonight,” he said. “It helps them for the rest of their life. If you got the sniffles, still go to work. It’s cold and rainy, and there’s a soccer game, that’s your job to play. It was a tough test. It was a physical game, a faster game than I thought for the conditions, and I’m pretty proud of their performance.”

Marshall Co-Captain and Freshman Abigail Wing said communication was a big factor in their play.

“We can always improve on that,” Wing said. “Especially in the midfield, where there’s usually a lot of players and girls attacking the ball. We had a lot of girls getting confused and collisions happening.”

Wing agreed that the rain and wind presented their challenges, but it wasn’t all bad on the whole.

“I like to play in the rain,” Wing said. “When it’s cold, the ball definitely is completely different. Kicking the ball when it’s wet, and running with it, [needing] softer touches on the ball.”

Heading into their next game at home against Sioux Falls Christian Tuesday, Sept. 9, Wing said they are a tough opponent. She said if they put in the effort and skill they did against Fairmont, they can keep up with them.

The Fairmont Cardinals have their next game Saturday Sept. 6 against Cannon Falls at home, starting at 1 p.m.