It was the first day of school for the Brahmas soccer team and they played like it. The passing was inconsistent, the nerves were present and there was very little flow to what was a physical game filled with more literal grappling for possession then there were shot attempts.
Sophomore forward Paige Wolny who was getting a brunt of the punishment however was not going to be denied. After scoring on a penalty kick in the 77th minute, Wolny would add another in the 80th minute to secure a 2-0 win over Pasadena City College and give Pierce their second win in a row to start the season.
“She was great tonight,” interim head coach William Diaz said. “She kept her energy level up all game and made the impact of the game. It wasn’t the prettiest win and we’ve got a lot of things to work on. But the fact that we can win like this gives us a lot of confidence as we continue to build our chemistry.”
Wolny had been getting pushed and shoved all game long including getting thrown to the ground near the end of the first half. Yet determined to make a play for her team she never lost her composure and in the 76th minute it all paid off. After a misplay defensively by the Lancers, Wolny found herself in possession of the ball and penetrated her way to the goal where she drew contact inside the goal box to draw the penalty. Moments later she would bury the shot to give the Brahmas the 1-0 lead.
“I’ve been scoring goals and have been getting a lot of good looks but that is all thanks to my teammates,” Wolny said having scored four goals in the first two games of the season.
The game itself however was an eyesore to watch for Coach Diaz in the first half. Pierce was unable to maintain any real ball possession due to excessive dribbling and poor passing.
“We really need to work on our chemistry and especially with our ball control,” Diaz said. “It was very very sloppy and it is something we need to work on if we want to continue to build throughout the season.”
Pierce freshman forward Marissa Albano who was credited with the assist on the second goal of the game thought even though the team played well, that they came out nervous.
“We just weren’t settling the ball the way we were used to,” Albano said. “It was the first day of school and playing a game on the new grass. We just need to settle in and do a better job mentally next time.”
The Brahmas will head out on the road Friday where they will play Santa Monica College. The game will start at 3 p.m. where the Brahmas will attempt to win their third game in a row.
