Hawks lose 1-0 to Santa Catalina after a free kick in the 58th
minute
San Juan Bautista – The Anzar girls soccer team came up a little bit short, but the Hawks proved Friday that they are capable of competing with the best team in the Mission Trail Athletic League.
“We’re more than just capable,” Anzar coach Deric McLean said after his team dropped a 1-0 decision at home to unbeaten Santa Catalina.
“We looked fantastic from start to finish,” he said. “We felt we deserved a better result.”
The Cougars (10-0, 9-0 MTAL) have been blowing away the competition this season, having now outscored their opponents 52-1. They have four games with seven or more goals and their only goal allowed came in a 4-1 win over King City that was preceded by a three-week layoff.
But Santa Catalina and coach Rod Gilchrist didn’t look past Anzar for a minute.
“We expected Anzar to be tough and they lived up to that,” Gilchrist said. “We needed a tough game. We’ve had a few too many easy ones.”
The loss drops the Hawks (6-4, 6-2 MTAL) to 2 1/2 games back in the league standings.
Anzar controlled most of the action in the first half, when it had the wind on the chilly afternoon at its back.
Olivia Austin had a look at a free kick in the 14th minute but the shot went high. In the 21st minute, Sara Chatley had a shot in front of the net that was saved by the Cougars.
Santa Catalina had its best chance of the first half in the 33rd minute. Ryann Woolf nailed a crossing shot off the left post and the rebound ricocheted to the right and rolled just in front of the goalline and all the way past the right post before Anzar goalkeeper Erin Deleissegues corralled it.
It stayed scoreless through halftime and into the game’s 58th minute, when the referee blew a whistle for a foul.
Both teams thought the foul was on Santa Catalina and the Cougars fell back into defensive positioning.
But after a few moments of confusion, Santa Catalina was the one given a free kick and the Cougars’ Katie McNeill booted a shot that was directed in by Sarah Wright for the game’s only goal.
The Hawks’ best chance to tie in came in the 65th minute when Chatley had another look in front of the net, but Santa Catalina got the save and Santa Catalina held on.
Despite the loss, McLean was pleased with the effort and the confidence that was gained with this performance.
“It’s big for them to come out here and see they can hang with anybody,” he said. “It’s a testament to their hard work.”
