Your Local SEO and Digital Marketing Experts in San Diego County
For the past calendar year and then some, Mission Hills High School’s girls soccer team has been at the top of the table in the Palomar League Standings.
The Grizzlies plan to stay there. Tuesday’s 1-0 home win over Mt. Carmel improved Mission Hills to 10-0-2 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.
A second-half goal from freshman Savannah Carter was the difference.
“This league is very, very tough; there are a lot of highly competitive teams,” Mission Hills coach Kino Valdez said. “The girls executed when they needed to tonight, and they were impressive, yet again.”
The visiting Sundevils didn’t play like an intimated group. Coming into Tuesday’s match with a 10-4-1 record, they’ve proven themselves contenders.
Mt. Carmel easily controlled both possession and tempo in the first half, thanks in large part to junior Makayla Gwynn’s play in the attacking third. The speedy forward created a flurry of opportunities, including shots on goal in the eighth and 18th minutes.
Gwynn’s shot in the 18th was the most dangerous of the half. She beat two defenders, but her shot slid just wide of the far post.
After that shot, Mission Hills’ defense managed to put a lid on the explosive Sundevils. The game was scoreless at the half.
“I felt like the girls did a great job of going out there and weathering the storm in the first half,” Valdez said. “We knew Mt. Carmel is very aggressive in their attack and we wanted to work balls away from certain spaces, and we felt like if we could hold them off for the first 25 minutes, we could break the game open a bit more.”
After playing on their heels for most of the first half, the Grizzlies began to awaken after the break. Mission Hills had back-to-back dangerous corner kicks in the 62nd and 63rd minutes.
Then, in the 66th, it finally clicked. Forward Amanda Anders stole the ball at midfield and made an excellent run up the right sideline before firing a low runner into the box to the waiting feet of Savannah Carter. The freshman quickly settled the ball before rifling it past the Sundevils’ goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner of the net.
“Just having a game-changer and playmaker like Savannah Carter on your team is incredible. This is her third goal this season in a big game,” said Valdez. “We knew as team we wanted to work that ball down the right side, and we knew if we got numbers in the box we could make something happen.”
Originally Published:
Your Local SEO and Digital Marketing Experts in San Diego County
