Patrick LisingSeptember 14, 2007
Pierce College continued their good season start with a wonderful performance against Antelope Valley College on Friday, winning with a score of 7-0.Boasting a creditable record of 3 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws this season, the Brahmas looked to improve it with a win on Friday.An impressive four goals were scored by defender Amanda Bernal to ensure proceedings at the Pit would be one-way traffic.A goalless first half, the second would eventually give way to a rampaging Pierce team who scored goal after goal. Antelope Valley never troubled Pierce seriously; they were simply played off the field. Pierce lined up with a 4-4-2 formation (defenders – midfielders – strikers). In the first half, they controlled possession and created many chances. They were rarely troubled by Antelope Valley attacks and pressed for their first goal.Unfortunately for Pierce, even though they controlled much of the play, they failed to be clinical, hitting the crossbar twice. One shot blazed over the bar and another hit the side netting.It was a little frustrating for the Pierce players as the first half ended 0-0. During the second half, however, the Brahmas would settle matters with deadly precision. In the forty-eighth minute, Pierce was awarded a corner kick. Defender Heather Painter stepped up and swung the ball into the penalty area, where Amanda Bernal headed it to the bottom left corner beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. Pierce finally got the goal they were searching for. They would double their lead in the fifty-fourth minute. This time, midfielder Rocio Abundez scuffed her shot at the goal in the penalty area. It fell to teammate Patricia Garcia, who had enough time to pick her spot and slot it past the keeper. A third goal came just nine minutes later. In the sixty-third minute, midfielder Lindsey Liggera put an inviting cross into the box from the left, which was half-cleared by the Antelope Valley defender. It ended up falling to Bernal, who shot low and hard beneath the keeper to make it 3-0. Pierce continued to be ruthless and scored their next goal just two minutes later. A wayward cross from the left found its way to midfielder Mia Sawford, who volleyed it from just outside the penalty area into the top left corner. 4-0 wouldn’t be enough for the Brahmas. Their fifth came from a set piece in the seventy-first minute. Garcia scored her second goal of the game with a header from seven yards out.A sixth goal never looked out of the question and in the seventy-ninth minute, Bernal completed her hat trick when she headed it in from another corner by Garcia. Both players were having an outstanding game.There was even time to add a seventh goal in the eighty-first minute. It would arguably be the best goal of the game. Bernal stepped up to take the left corner kick and hit it with pace and whip straight into the goal.Then, finally, the full-time whistle blew. The Brahmas second half performance was simply sensational as they cruised to a dominant win. Antelope Valley College had no answer to the goal-fest that occurred in the second half.”We had a great first half,” said Lemmel Galvao, head coach of Antelope Valley. “A third of the team is injured. We had four games in seven days,” he said. “We were just tired and beat up,” he concluded.Pierce head coach Adolfo Perez had much praise for his team’s performance. He was sympathetic towards the opposing team.”I think they were just tired out.” said Perez. “It’s rare that it happens in soccer, that the score is 0-0 and then [you] score seven goals in the second half, so that was good,” he said.Amanda Bernal described her four goals as “great” and continued to note that she had “never had that.”Coach Perez had similar words concerning the defender’s star performance.”Amanda Bernal scoring four goals, it’s pretty amazing. That hasn’t happened in five years,” said Perez.Pierce College’s next match will takes place at the Pit on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, against Oxnard College.