The Carlmont Scots girls varsity soccer team defeated the Terra Nova Tigers 2-0 in a rainy yet exciting senior night match on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Coupled with a previous victory against the Half Moon Bay Cougars, the Scots now have an undefeated record of 7-0 in the league, where they currently sit in first and are 12-4-1 overall. Following the loss, the Tigers moved to 4-3-1 in the league and are currently in third with an overall record of 10-4-2.
Despite the unfavorable weather, the Tigers came out aggressive, forcing the ball further down the field and applying pressure on the defensive backs. The Tigers were able to limit the Scots’ touches on the opposing team’s half.
“I thought we played aggressively, and we played them tough,” said Terra Nova head coach David Downing. “I think we’ve given them two big games in the last two games that we played them.”
However, the Scots were able to bounce back and gain momentum midway through the first half when Carlmont junior Rina Choe attempted a lofted pass toward the goal. The ball then bounced around before reaching the feet of a Tiger defender, who tried to clear the ball. However, Carlmont sophomore Lila Latta got in front of the pass and gained control of the ball, eventually taking a successful shot at the goal and putting the Scots up 1-0.
“I thought when we were playing with good speed and control, we dominated and out-possessed the other team,” said Carlmont head coach Jillian Quan.
There was lots of back and forth; however, the Tigers came up close minutes later with a header directed toward the goal from Terra Nova sophomore Lily Farmer, deflected out of bounds at the last second by Carlmont junior Niyati Hazari.
The Tigers quickly built off their momentum and continued taking the offensive. As the first half wound down, both teams had numerous shots on goal; however, both failed to produce any goals.
“We have had a problem putting the ball in the goal,” Downing said. “Just seems like the ball isn’t bouncing our way.”
Throughout the game, the rain and wind persisted, making conditions unfavorable for the players and requiring them to adapt.
“With the harsh conditions, the ball was slippery, and it was sometimes hard to control and get good touches,” said Carlmont senior Masha Rozenfeld.
In the second half, the Scots came in looking to push the lead with shots on goal from Rozenfeld, and Alyssa Bish, a senior, early in the half.
The Tigers came close to tying the game with six minutes remaining when Terra Nova senior Kathryn Mitchell shot a corner kick, which took a bounce in the center of the goal area. As players honed in on the ball, Scots senior goalkeeper Samantha Bishop managed to recover the ball right in front of the goal line.
“I know our keepers didn’t get a whole lot of action, but when they did have big saves, they came up clutch,” Quan said.
With minutes remaining, the Scots scored again, this time off a corner kick that landed at the feet of Carlmont sophomore Delaney Kumer, who then successfully scored.
Despite the season coming to a close, the Scots still have lots ahead of them next week.
“We have three games next week out of four days, and they’re all away games,” Quan said. “It should be fun traveling to play next week and finish out our season before we head into playoffs.”
