Carlmont’s JV girls soccer team beat the Menlo-Atherton Bears 2-0 in a nail-biter, adding another victory to their impressive record.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24th, the Scots played a suspenseful game leading up to the final minutes, ultimately scoring two back-to-back goals to win the match. This was similar to their winning goal against Burlingame last Thursday.
“I’m happy that we won but it would have been nicer to get a lead earlier in the game,” said Scots’ head coach Lindsay Moynihan.
The Scots and the Bears were evenly matched for most of the first half, each having a few good possessions and runs.
The Bears depended greatly on their forwards’ ability to run up the sideline, but Carlmont’s defensive line held strong, denying almost any attempt into the box.
On the contrary, the Scots tried for a goal by building up slowly, making great use of their center midfielders. The Scots were able to get to the top of the field many times, but overall, didn’t take many shots.
“We’ve definitely improved, particularly with possession, and that is what’s going to help us keep the ball and hopefully give us more opportunities to score,” Moynihan said.
Both teams finished the first half of the game with good progress, but neither was able to finish and score. The Scots came out a lot stronger in the second half, communicating and controlling the ball more.
“I think toward the end of the second half, we had a lot of strong passing and connection, and our forwards were taking more shots, so that was great,” said sophomore striker Anika Bock.
Although the Scots controlled the game for most of the second half, the Bears were able to get a few shots off. In the 60th minute, the Bears had a shot on goal, but it was blocked by freshman outside defender, Eva Gonzales.
“We have to be better at finishing, it’s been our Achilles heel all year,” said Menlo-Atherton coach Jason Luce.
The game continued with back-to-back play for another 15 minutes until Bock was able to put the ball in the back of the net, revitalizing the hopes of the Scots.
Being in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division, the Scots are in for a challenge, and only leading by one goal is dangerous. Knowing this, the Scots put their all into trying to extend their lead.
After two of her impressive attempts at the goal were blocked during the final minutes, sophomore striker Stella Lopez shot a third time, scoring the second goal of the game with less than one minute remaining, and securing the win for the Scots.
“I’m very pleased with the level of play. We’ve definitely improved over the season, especially with possession,” Moynihan said.
Even though they won this game, the Scots have more upcoming games, and Moynihan still has many plans for their upcoming practices.
“We’re going to continue working on offensive movement, shooting, and linking passes through our midfield,” Moynihan said.
The Scots hope this practice makes perfect, and that they can pull out a win in their upcoming game against Woodside on Thursday the 26th.
“I’m excited for the rest of the season. I think we can beat the teams we tied and lost to earlier in the season,” Bock said.
