It was a tough week on the soccer pitch for local teams, with
the Lady Lions and Tigers each dropping a pair of games on the
league circuit.
Analy navigates choppy waters
The Lady Tigers had the unenviable task of playing two of the
area’s best teams in Casa Grande and Windsor last week.
Analy hosted the NCS champion Gauchos on Sept. 15, giving up a
pair of first-half goals before settling down for an outstanding
second period. Jamie Lerum got the Tigers on the board just after
intermission, but Casa would hold off a furious Analy attack to
tally a late insurance goal for a 3-1 victory.
“It was a big psychological boost for us to see we could play
with Casa,” said Analy coach Joseph Heil, citing the standout play
of Angela Briones and Deanna Molkenbuhr in the forward line, Lerum
and Molly Schuster in midfield, and Kelley Benck and Collete
Zepponi in the back. “The girls fought non-stop the entire game and
left it all on the field.”
Analy (5-4, 0-3) traveled to Windsor on Thursday, jumping ahead
1-0 on a first half free kick from Emily Olvera. The lead was
short-lived as Windsor took control of the game and a banged up
Tiger squad to score four unanswered goals en route to an eventual,
4-1 win.
The Tigers will entertain visiting Sonoma next Tuesday, Sept. 29
at Karlson Field. Game times are 5 and 7 p.m.
Lions blanked by league foes
El Molino (2-4, 0-3) weathered a challenging stretch of league
games, falling to Petaluma, 3-0 and Casa Grande, 6-0.
Despite the lack of offensive production in both games, the
Lions got outstanding efforts from several veterans, including
goalie Analisa Speicher, and the back line of Sarah Scott, Savannah
North, Megan Nonella, and Taeler Rae Gemini.
Of note against the Gauchos was the standout play of forward
Shallyn Farris, who tested the Casa defense on several scoring
threats.
The ladies will resume league play under the lights tonight
(Sept. 24) when they visit Recreation Park in Healdsburg.
