Jason Lemery / Roundup
Friday afternoon was a hot one, and the spectators who decided to brave the elements witnessed the Pierce College girls soccer team knock off the Fullerton Hornets 4-0.
The Lady Brahmas took control immediately, and didn’t relent for an entire half, that was played in grueling temperatures.
Erica Vangsness was the first to score 12 minutes into the first half, and the Fullerton defense had to scramble to keep up after that.
Both teams subbed freely, starting to rotate players around the 24th minute, trying to keep everyone hydrated.
The heat and the game started driving emotions higher, and the fouls started to mount up.
The Lady Brahmas struck again after dodging an offside trap, when Nora Perez scored a goal in the 41st minute of the first half.
The half ended and the teams swarmed off the field, both sides guzzling water and scrambling for shade. The respective coaches gave play breakdowns and pep talks.
“A little frustrating, that last week’s game was better,” coach Adolfo Perez said following his teams first half performance. “The positives are that we’re up 2-0 and we’ve got pretty high expectations for the 2nd half.”
The Lady Hornets came out fired up and ran their tails off, but they couldn’t beat a solid Brahma defense in the heat.
Both sides’ tempers were becoming aggravated in the heat, and it started to show in the 2nd half.
It was just bits and pieces, elbows being inconspicuously thrown, knees being tested, and sometimes someone would give the occasional shove.
The fouls mounted, and the referee started handing out yellow cards.
The Brahma offense though, had just waited out the first terrific rush from the Hornets. They counterattacked and scored again when Nora Perez drove the ball into the back of the net in the 80th minute.
Kristen Rosado slipped another past the Fullerton goalie just three minutes later, making the score 4-0 with the Pierce Lady Brahmas on top.
A few minutes later, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, and that was, decidedly, that.