Hawks remain undefeated in CAL at 6-0-2
San Juan Bautista – It wasn’t necessarily the outcome they wanted, but the Anzar girls soccer team will remain undefeated, nonetheless.
Despite a seemingly dominant performance Tuesday – in a game where Mother Nature may have done the most damage – the Hawks fought to a scoreless tie against York in San Juan Bautista.
After tying Pacific Collegiate 2-2 last week and beating Soledad 1-0, coach Deric McLean believes his Hawks are playing their best soccer of the season.
But on a drenched field, where the rain subsided but never stopped, Anzar out-shot York 12-3 in the game and controlled the contest despite the wet pitch.
“It is disappointing,” McLean said of the 0-0 tie. “It’s wonderful to stay undefeated, of course, but this is disappointing. We did dominate the run of play … We just could not find the back of the net.”
The Hawks had approximately eight corner kicks, and although York gained momentum at the end of the first half, Anzar swung the pendulum back in their favor in the second stanza.
Led by the speedy Alex Brown, the Hawks attacked York’s net on countless occasions, but simply came up empty on each attempt.
The Hawks may have had their best chance to break the scoreless tie on a crossing pass from Brown late in the game.
The pass darted toward the center from the right baseline and seemingly balanced itself on the goal line, but never crossed over for a score.
It was just one of those days for Anzar.
“We’re playing good soccer,” McLean said. “The one place the weather affects us is getting clean touches on the ball. We like to play a build-up style where we possess the ball. But I think we’re playing our best soccer of the season.”
Anzar’s defense was rather tenacious all game, allowing just three shots to get through on keeper Erin Deleissegues.
In fact, as McLean noted, Anzar’s eight goals allowed on the season (11 games) have come via corner kicks or free kicks.
The Hawks have allowed only two goals against league opponents this season, and Tuesday’s game against York showcased Anzar’s tenacity.
“Her (Deleissegues) positioning is good, and our defense doesn’t give up much,” McLean said. “That’s what we like to see.”
Anzar is now 6-0-2 in the Coastal Athletic League, 7-2-2 overall, while York earns their first tie and sits 3-2-1 in the league.
The Hawks remain in first place in the CAL, holding on to a half-game lead over Pacific Collegiate.
The Pumas, though, still have plenty of competition left in the season, including matches at Soledad, York and the season finale at Anzar.
The Hawks will return to the pitch Thursday when they host Calvary Christian in San Juan Bautista. Kick-off is at 3:30 p.m.
