The Skyline women’s soccer team played their second home game of the season against the Los Medanos Mustangs on Tuesday evening. After a hard fought game, it ended in a draw with both teams scoring two goals.
The Trojans had a rocky start to the season. Starting the season with no wins and three losses, they lost by a large margin to Cuesta College and Modesto Junior College, before earning a big win on Friday against Merritt College.
The women’s team had some momentum going into Tuesday’s windy evening game after coming off a win. But two early goals by the Los Medanos Mustangs gave the visiting a team a lead at the end of the first half.
Skyline’s midfielder, Azea Alcaraz, scored the home team’s first goal of the game. Shortly before halftime, Alcaraz was awarded a free kick that she netted into the back right corner of the goal, away from the Mustang’s goalie.
Los Medanos came out aggressively in the opening half of the game. The Mustangs controlled the ball for a majority of the time. However, Skyline made a push late in the first half that gave them a goal and some much needed life going into halftime.
Down only one goal, Skyline came out of halftime determined to tie the game. The Trojans looked focused and the team’s communication and off-ball movement seemed more effective.
The Trojans buckled down on the defense in the second half, and as a result, they were the aggressors for most of the time. Managing possessions and controlling the pace was an emphasis in preparation for Los Medanos.
Moock believes the Trojans could have earned a win if they took more shots throughout the game.
The game-tying goal was scored by Skyline forward Sierra Olson with a little over 10 minutes left in the game. With victory in sight, the Trojans’ ball movement kept a steady pressure on the Mustangs’ defense for the remainder of the game.
Late in the game, Alcaraz made a strong drive to the goal with a chance to give the Trojans the lead, but the solid shot attempt from five feet outside of the goal was blocked by Los Medanos’ goalie with six minutes left on the clock.
Los Medanos was struggling to keep possession against Skyline’s smothering defense. The Mustangs had a few good attacks that all resulted in missed shots. Lackluster defense and a poor offensive execution denied the Mustangs an away win.
After 90 minutes, the game ended with score of two all. The Skyline women’s soccer team looks to get back in the win column on Friday as they continue their home-stand against College of Marin.