Stangs stifled by late goal
LMC shutout for forth time this year
Xavier Valle
The Los Medanos College women’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss after Marin College’s Jenny Huezo scored a last-minute goal at the intense Oct. 13 game.
After returning home from a 2-2 tie with Napa College the week before, Mustangs’ head coach Mark Bryant knew what his players would need to do to win against the Mariners and said he was expecting the most from them.
“The key for this game is to at least put on the pressure on their defense to attack and take advantage for a shot,” explained Bryant before the first whistle blew Tuesday night.
But the first half of the game proved to be unfruitful for LMC despite controlling the ball almost the entire time. Most of the half was a lot of back and forth, with the mustangs taking the ball up the field only to be shut down repeatedly by the Mariners’ strong defense.
After half time, the Mariners came out aggressively with the their center and defensive players fouling and tackling the Mustangs to keep them from scoring – and it worked.
This type of play culminated with LMC forward Autumn Kish’s yellow card. Following repeated attempts by the Mustangs to shoot, Kish finally made it past most of the Mariner defense and made a play for the goal. All that stood in her way was the last defender, who came in to block her, but Kish used her body to shield the ball and the defender fell hard to the ground – resulting in a yellow card for Kish.
“That was real strategy and aggressiveness that Autumn pulled out there,” said Coach Bryant in the middle of the booking. “The referee’s decision to pull a card was unacceptable compare to what Marin’s defense had been doing.”
As the second was wrapping up, it looked as if the game was going to be a shut out for both sides, but at minute 80, Marin College received an opportunity in the form of a corner kick and took full advantage of it. Mariners’ midfielder Grace Gurang took the kick, giving herself the assist to fellow midfielder Jenny Huezo, who headed the ball into the net for her first goal of the season. Unable to come back from the blow, LMC left the scoreboard at 1-0 when the final whistle blew.
Following the game, Bryant said they need to work on developing routine plays and making small passes which could be the key to scoring goals.
“It’s soccer and we need to improve more … and take risks that can lead us,” said Bryant.
The Mustangs will face off against the second-place Yuba College this Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and Contra Costa College Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. — both will be away. For a full list of game dates and times go to http://www.losmedanos.edu/soccer/schedule.asp.
