Daniel Cromar
You always here people saying that in any sport, you play to your strengths. For the women’s soccer team on Friday, that strength was strength in numbers.
The Brahmas beat Citrus College 5-0 at home, using their extensive reserves to improve their record to 8-2-2 on the year. Their five goals were the most since September 2, and yet they really could have had more.
At the outset, it looked like the goals would come at a premium for both teams. While the Brahmas maintained control, they were having trouble moving the ball down the field. Whenever they did manage to get within striking range, a combination of a resilient Citrus defense and a lackluster Pierce offense caused goal after goal to elude them.
The Brahmas weren’t the only ones missing opportunities early on. Citrus had a chance to strike first with a direct free kick early in the half, but instead shot it off the crossbar. They received another direct free kick later on, and again came up empty.
Both teams were kept off the board until the 28th minute, when the ball deflected off the Citrus goalkeeper, and Emani Steward managed to slip it into the back of the net. The Brahmas would strike once more in the half, in the 43rd minute, when Gina Piazza added a goal of her own.
“I think we should have two or three more goals. We have to focus more,” said Coach Adolfo Perez at the half.
Even though the Brahmas offense wasn’t quite as strong as it should have been, it still seemed to be getting the job done. Missed opportunities aside, Pierce appeared to be in control of the game, partly because of the depth of their bench. “We took the starters out and the girls that went in did a great job,” said Coach Perez. He added The second half started out much like the first, with both teams looking deadlocked. Citrus managed to maintain control for awhile, but eventually Pierce’s ability to constantly have fresh legs on the field began to help them regain momentum. This time, it started to show some real results, and show them faster. This time, instead of taking almost 30 minutes to score, the Brahmas scored 11 minutes into the half. Kelsey Morquecho scored with an assist from Piazza. For the rest of the half, it was all Brahmas. They maintained almost constant control throughout the half, as fatigue and frustration began to visibly wear down the Citrus players, who could be heard bickering among themselves on the field. Still, it wasn’t all roses Pierce in the second half. About halfway in, Emani Steward received a yellow card after missing a shot, presumably for something she said. Later in the half, the referee stopped play, and told Coach Perez that if he did not remove four spectators who were shouting at the players, the team would be written up. The young men were asked to leave, and the game was able to finish without incident. The final nails in the coffin came within five minutes of each other. In the 84th minute, Yasmine Yahoum scored. In the 89th minute, she scored again, making the score 5-0, and that’s the way it ended. “The beginning of the game compared to the end of the game were total opposites,” said Gina Piazza, who picked up a goal and an assist. “I think we did really well at the end.” The Brahmas success in the second half was no surprise to Coach Perez. “We usually get stronger in the second half, so if teams are going to beat us it’s going to be in the first half.” Coach Perez also had a message for the students at Pierce. “I wish more people would come and watch us play. It’s exciting, whether you like soccer or not. It’s an exciting atmosphere. We have 20,000 students here, and very few come out.”