The Coronado Islander girls varsity soccer team moved on to 5-4-4 after tying Cathedral Catholic 1-1 on Wednesday, January 25. This game was filled to the brim with shots on goal, defensive stops, and beautiful passes.
As the Islanders went into the game, Emily Kuite shared, “We have positioned ourselves differently for this game to account for Cathedral’s more offensive shape. [Along with that], we have also worked on both offensive and defensive corners to ensure that we are strong in the air and that we have correct organization.”
Cathedral was constantly pressing the Islander defense. However, with great teamwork and ability to clear the ball, the Islanders only allowed one goal for the night. Many players, such as Zoe Searles did a good job containing the players and keeping them outside the box, preventing shots on goal.
Along with that, Olivia Schoettke made an incredible save during the first half where she jumped out in front of many defensive players and snagged the ball out of the air. However, as she was doing it, she took a gnarly hit, but she got right back up and fed the ball to her teammate.
Coming out of halftime, with a fresh 40 minutes on the clock, a shift in energy occurred. The Islanders seemed to realize how urgent it was that they score so as not to lose with no score on their side.
Playing with urgency now, the Islanders showed a lot of ambition. As time was winding down, Xiomara McKenna used her speed to create separation and crossed the ball to Kate McGrath. As the ball was hurdling towards Kate, she turned, and using her hip, popped the ball right into the net. The score now 1-1 with minimal time remaining.
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As the clock wound down, McGrath got a break away and had just one defender and the goalie to beat. She took a step and shot, barely sending the ball over the crossbar of the goal. The whistle blew just seconds later and the game ended in the tie 1-1.
