Huskies Score Go-Ahead in 2nd Half, Hold on to Clip Condors

by Cerwin D Haynes

Coming off a bad outing last Friday at San Bernardino Valley College, East Los Angeles College Women's Soccer head coach Ramon Rivas told his team to forget the score and focus on working hard and executing. Which is important when you're rebuilding a program from the ground up.

A few wins here and there certainly doesn't hurt in showing progress in said rebuild. While the Huskies had to hold on for dear life to a late lead tonight against Oxnard College, they indeed turned away the Condors 2-1. 

Sophomore MF Jennifer Galardo struck first with an unassisted 10-ft blast that found net at 31:54. Unfortunately for the home Green, that lead was short-lived as Oxnard's F Anahi Nieto tied things up less than two minutes later with a solo blast of her own from the right side (33:30). The score stayed 1-1 into the second half as Oxnard started to spend more time on the offensive. But the Huskies found another opportunity at the 59' mark, when Gallardo's corner kick found fellow sophomore MF Wendy Zuniga in front of the net. Zuniga's 6-ft strike etched past Oxnard GK Lismairi Fernandez for the East LA lead.

From there, both teams went back and forth for a bit before Oxnard tried to mount a final push to tie. During the 77' mark, Ahtziry Mendoza-Mendez maneuvered past a Huskies' defender and kicked on past a diving Jacqueline Camarena at GK. But the ball hit the left post and caromed directly to Camarena, who - still on the ground - cradled the ball to end the threat. From there, the Pack played good defense to keep Oxnard away from striking distance while making a push in the final minutes for an insurance goal. They didn't get said goal, but their pressure kept Oxnard from mounting any more threats.

Getting a win - and seeing early returns on his foundation-building - was encouraging for Coach Rivas. But he knows there's still a long way to go. "Gotta keep grinding," said coach after the game.

HUSKY BITS

• Jennifer Gallardo leads the team in goals (3) assists (5) and points (11). Zuniga's goal was her first of the season.
• GK Camarena got the win with three saves on four SOGs.
• Not wanting his players to wear down defensively, Rivas substituted often over the final fifteen minutes to keep legs fresh enough to protect the lead.
  
  

UP NEXT:

Due to Cerro Coso forfeiting last Tuesday's game, the Huskies have actually played their last four games on the road prior to tonight. Rivas said the ladies were happy to get back home, but that'll be short-lived as they're back on the road for three more matches, starting this Friday at Victor Valley College. They'll be back at Weingart in two weeks to host Porterville College.