Seymour head coach Greg Musser challenged his team before Thursday’s match with Scottsburg about the want to win and the need to win.

“We need to be a team that needs to win,” Musser explained. “We need to internalize that.”

The Owls did just that, scoring 45 seconds into the match to take an early 1-0 lead. That would prove to be all Seymour needed to win the match, but the Owls added one more goal in the second half to defeat Scottsburg 2-0 in their first home match of the season.

“We came out firing,” Musser said.

It was Kate Connell that went firing down the right side of the field and crossed it into the middle, where the ball found the foot of Irene Martinez, who used to her right boot to score the first goal of the game.

Seymour controlled much of the possession in the first half, but couldn’t find any more goals. Brooke Trinkle had a couple attempts outside the box that just sailed over the goal, but many of Seymour’s opportunities near or in the box didn’t muster to anything more.

The Owls took a 1-0 advantage into halftime.

“Unfortunately, I think that goal kind of gave us a little false confidence,” Musser said. “We turned into a team that just wanted to win instead of needing to. We have a young squad, we’re learning some lessons as we go, and it’s a good lesson to learn. We got the win, which is all that matters, and we protected home field.”

The 10-minute halftime break was another opportunity for Musser to challenge his team about “need” instead of “want.”

It was evident once again to start the half. Seymour’s offensive attack became much more aggressive, and their shots on goal made life difficult on Scottsburg keeper Morgan Pool.

Nicole Rebber had two free kicks for the Owls that were absolute rockets just outside of the box. Pool had to push away the first one, and then tip the second one over the net.

“Nicole is a heck of a player,” Musser said. “She anchors that middle for us. That’s what we’re looking for, getting the ball back to her and letting her put things on frame.”

The second goal came with 27 minutes left in the game when Trinkle took a page out of her do-it-yourself book.

The senior was dribbling down the left side, cut in to the right past a Scottsburg defender and placed a perfect shot in the bottom left corner of the goal.

“We did better in moments, Brooke especially, of being a little selfish,” Musser said. “They were too unselfish in the first half, passing up opportunities. We did a good job of possessing, but that final ball, that final decision was just a little lacking today, but the build up is there, and that’s good.”

Seymour may not have scored as much as it wanted to, but the Owls were in control from start to finish. It was an easy day for keeper Jessica Hougland, who was never really faced with a threatening shot on goal.

As the Owls move forward this season, communication is another area that Musser wants to see improved. He wants to hear his players saying things like “time” or “turn,” so when a player gets ball at their feet, they know what’s surrounding them.

“Just simple things where we’re forcing passes that don’t need to happen because we don’t know that we had time,” Musser.

Thursday’s win over Scottsburg improved Seymour’s record to 2-2 on the season.

The Owls will be back home next Tuesday when they welcome in Hoosier Hills Conference foe Jeffersonville for a 7 p.m. start time.

“I’m excited to see what we’re gonna do on Tuesday when we get back out there,” Musser said.