Yesterday’s match between College of the Sequoias and American River College marked the beginning of a new soccer season and the first defeat for our Giants. The Beavers, despite not showing a very threatening game-plan, capitalized on the few chances they got to defeat the Giants.
The ball was fiercely disputed by both teams right in the midfield as the game came to a start. Around the 7′, amid a festival of rebounds and tackles, the Beavers found space to pass the ball to their number seven, Kyah Pickett, who ran a few meters toward the Giant’s goal. Pickett then passed that to the Beaver’s forward, Grace Vojkufka, who successfully scored putting the Beaver’s ahead.
Despite the unfortunate and unexpected early blow, the Giants would not back down. Brooklyn Morris’, the head coach of the Giant’s Women’s soccer team, would help channel the team’s anxiety of being behind early in the game and take advantage of the Beaver’s natural reaction of slowing down after scoring. The Giant’s immediately tried to find the equalizer through a quick, intense and vertical offensive proposal where wingers were crucial. In spite of what the scoreboard showed, the game started to favor the Giants. So much so, that American River was at a disadvantage for a bit of the first half.
Although the Beaver’s would quickly regain dominance of the scoreboard as the Giant’s fell behind. Whether it was the successful blocks made by the Beavers defense or the lack of assertiveness when passing in the goalkeeper’s direction when in the Giants’ control, the ball refused to get into the net. The Giants’ series of unfortunate events would continue when one of their forwards missed a chance to score with no one covering the goal. After that, the first half finished with American River retreating in an attempt to mitigate the Giants pressure.
The second half of the game followed the same patterns of the previous half. The Beaver’s defense struggled to clear the ball off their side and the Giant’s aimlessly looked for the goal by any means. The constant steals, tackles and failed attempts to put the ball into dangerous areas, kept the ball revolving in the midfield for a long time until the 63’ when the Beavers scored against the Giants once again. After that, the struggle between both teams continued and despite desperate efforts to score, the Giants ended their first game with a bitter end with American River winning 2-0.
The Giants did not have a good first exhibition. Although the team showed diligence, persistence and creativity, the Giants could not properly seal the deal against American River. Luckily, there still is a long journey ahead for the Giants. Next week, our Giants will have a chance to revert their rough start against Lake Tahoe. Hopefully, this time, our Giants will have good news to share.
