A heartbreaking late goal separated what was a close match between Pierce College women’s soccer team and Cypress College, as they lost 2-1 in the first round of Regional Playoff on Nov.17 at the Pit.
The result was tough on the Brahmas, with both sides sharing possession and vying for a winning goal up to the final whistle.
Pierce started the match in the best possible way by grabbing an early goal in the third minute.
Pierce midfielder Patricia Garcia threw the ball into the box from the left and found teammate Mia Swafford, who headed it in to make it 1-0.
For the rest of the first half, both teams tried to gain control of the game, each team playing physically. Pierce went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half started with another early goal, but this time it was Cypress who scored and equalized.
In the 47th minute, a corner kick was taken and half-cleared. It fell to Cypress forward Natalie Farah, who slotted it under the keeper to make the score 1-1.
Afterwards, Pierce began to take control of the game, keeping possession while Cypress played on the counter-attack.
Although the Brahmas controlled possession, they weren’t able to create any clear goal-scoring chances; most of their efforts were limited to long-range shots.
The match continued this way until the 89th minute, when Cypress got their chance to take the lead.
Cypress cleared their lines with a long ball; Natalie Farah and Pierce defender Allison Fass both chased after the ball with Pierce goalkeeper Natasha Jackson rushing out of her box to deal with the danger.
Pressure from Farah forced an error from Jackson, prompting her to handle the ball outside the penalty box. Jackson was shown a yellow card and Cypress given a free kick in a dangerous position.
The resulting free kick was taken from 19 yards out and powered in past the goalkeeper.
It was heartbreak for Pierce they had controlled the second half for the most part and now found themselves going down and out with only minutes left to salvage anything.
To read the rest of the story and to listen to an audio interview with Adolfo Perez, visit www.therounduponline.net
In the dying minutes Pierce earned themselves one final chance to get themselves on level terms. They pushed everyone up into the penalty area as Pierce defender Heather Painter floated in the free kick, Cypress cleared their lines and finally, the full time whistle which ended Pierce’s playoff run.
Pierce head coach Adolfo Perez gave his thoughts after the match saying that he found the result to be “disappointing, we lost to an incredible team,” he said. “They were too physical for us.”
“I was happy that they were winning 1-0, we were going up hill,” he said. “They scored two goals, we broke down for 30 seconds and it cost us the game, not just the game, the season, everything.”
Cypress head coach Tracy Van Herk was happy about the result but also aware of the efforts of both teams.
“We knew it was a very tough game,” said Van Herk. “Our team has a lot of confidence and really showed character.”
Still she had some praise for the defeated opponents saying, “Pierce had a great game,” she said. “Both teams battled.”
After the match, the Pierce players were down about the result but knew that they played as best they could.
“We played hard,” said Lindsey Liggera. “We made a few mistakes that decided the game.”
As for next season, Liggera believes that next year’s team still looks good to compete at the highest level.
“The majority of people will stay,” she said. “They’ll be just as good.”
Cypress striker Natalie Farah (in white) forces Pierce goalkeeper Natasha Jackson (in blue) into a crucial error in the 89th minute .The resulting free kick led to the winning goal as Pierce bowed out of Regionals 2-1 on Nov. 17. ()