By Cameron Maldonado-Olea
Women’s soccer was defeated by Los Angeles Pierce College 9-0. The Huskies struggled against Pierce, unable to implement their planned strategy due to key players missing.
Jessica Correll, women’s soccer Head Coach, said, “We were trying out slightly different formations that were new to our players. Players were injured in the previous game or at the start of the game.”
The Huskies started with the ball and Sandy Padron playing forward initialized the offense, but was shortly stopped.
Within the first five minutes of the game, Pierce scored two goals.
Forward/midfielder Nalani Casarez from Pierce made the first shot, followed by Heidie Ricketts with a header that made the score 2-0.
While Pierce started their offense, the Huskies’ defensive line continued to struggle.
The third score was made by a corner kick from Pierce defender Lily Rang. The Huskies’ goalie Karen (Zhiqing) Chen (Zhao) followed up with multiple stops to Pierce’s offense and Huskie defender Ana Grajeda Ramirez initiated the attack. ELAC battled on Peirce’s front until the end of the first half.
For the second half, ELAC started off strong by intercepting and counter-attacking after a slow start in the first half.
It’s quickly shut down by Pierce. The Huskies kicked the ball off-field, allowing Peirce a corner kick.Peirce scored, bringing the game to 5-0.
The Huskies substituted defender Baneza Ortega-Orellana for midfielder Katherine Flores for a more defensive eleven.
Padron initialized the offense, and a back-and-forth between both teams ensued. Peirce broke down ELAC’s formation by pushing forward, leading Huskies goalie Chen (Zhao) blocking two goal attempts.
Peirce was fouled by the Huskies, allowing Peirce the opportunity to make a direct kick. The direct kick led to another score for Peirce, making the score 7-0.
Peirce quickly scored again after stealing the ball, making the score 8-0. The Huskies then subbed defender Katelyn Vogel with defender Sasha Borrego for an offensive push.
Shortly after, Peirce scored a shot from the 20 meters range, making it 9-0.
For the last 15 minutes, the Huskies halted an attack from Peirce by fouling.
The Huskies struggled to make offensive plays and their formations crumbled from pressure.
Coach Corell said, “I knew [Pierce] was gonna be strong, and that’s why I chose them before pre-season.”