Scots’ striker Maya Blodget, a freshman, scored early in the 13th minute during Carlmont’s 1-0 victory against Presentation High School.
Carlmont won their first home game of the season at 7 pm on Thursday, November 29th. Earlier in the week, Carlmont’s first match of the season ended in a 13-0 win against South San Francisco.
Carlmont began the match with a high press, hoping to pin their opponents into their own half. After 10 minutes of constant pressure, the Panthers made a critical mistake during buildup which led to Carlmont’s goal. Sawyer Kupbens, a sophomore, intercepted a Panther’s pass and slotted a through ball into Blodget. Blodget calmly finished the shot to redeem herself for an earlier miss in the fourth minute.
“Last game was a fluke because of the score. This game, we are more put together, we are communicating good, and we are creating opportunities,” said Carlmont coach Lindsey Moynihan.
The Panther’s defense improved as they began to throw more bodies in front of Carlmont’s shots. Carlmont had 18 shots during the whole game compared to the Panther’s one shot. Carlmont’s offense relied on fast wingers feeding crosses into their central strikers. Carlmont wiped in a staggering 14 crosses throughout the match.
“I think we were definitely stronger defensively. We need to work on getting first to the ball,” said Panthers coach Luisa Meza.
Carlmont’s defense was not always impenetrable. Presentation High School managed a few counter attacks which created their only shot on target.
“We had a through ball past their defense that Kyra ran onto. She’s really fast so I thought she might score,” said Sara Stebbins, a sophomore at Presentation High School.
In the second half, Carlmont had a goal in the 40th minute get called back for offsides. The Scots regained possession soon after the Panthers took their freekick and forced an impressive save out of the Panthers goalkeeper.
“I think we can improve on connecting better on shots, getting a better first touch and communicating more,” said Makenna Summers, a sophomore at Carlmont.
Carlmont played without Ali Owyang and Sabrina Kelly, both sophomores, but still brought a full bench. Owyang was out due to a pulled groin muscle and Kelly was out because of a broken collarbone. Panthers arrived with 12 players and seemed to tire throughout the game.
“I thought that throughout the game we definitely came together more, and we will continue to connect well in future games,” said Cassandra Areff, a sophomore for Carlmont.
The game ended with a frantic scramble inside the Panther’s goal box as a Carlmont shot ricocheted off multiple defenders.
Carlmont’s next game is away at St. Francis High School, Saturday, December 1st at 1:45 pm. Their first conference game is home against Terra Nova High School on Tuesday, January 15th at 6 pm.
“I think we will keep winning, and I hope we win the league. We are definitely going to have a good season, I’d say we will minimum finish top three,” Moynihan said.