Exciting, incredible, and tense. That’s how it felt during the Friday, January 27 Islander girls varsity soccer game against Christian High School. On their senior night, Coronado had a close game that many thought might be an easy win for the girls after seeing the boys beat Christian 5-0, but it wasn’t quite that easy. The Islanders just squeezed by and won 4-3 and have now moved on to 6-4-4 overall on the season and 3-1-1 in League play.
Senior night celebration compilation video:
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Christian scored first, adding one to the board 20 minutes into the game. Coronado seemed to be thrown off, but kept their heads in the game and scored two goals before the first half ended.
The first Islander goal was scored by Xiomara McKenna. She was ready for the ball, received a pass, and using her speed created separation from the defense. With that separation and determination she chip shotted it over the goalie and scored, hitting all net.
As we moved closer to halftime, Kate McGrath was determined to give the Islanders the lead. While running, Kate received a pass and with one step took a shot that perfectly flew past the goalie. The ball crossed the line and just seconds later the halftime whistle blew and the Islanders led the game going into halftime 2-1.
Things started off well in the second half as Sydney Dunn would score with 36 minutes left, extending the Islanders lead to 3-1. She received a cross from the outside near the sideline and was able to get possession. Upon receiving the ball, she did what looked to be a 360 with the ball still with her and as she turned she shot and was able to sneak the ball by the Christian defense and goalie.
In the next 23 minutes, Christian would go on to score two more goals against the Islanders. This tied the game up with around 13 minutes left to play. The Islanders sought out a plan and executed. They scored with 7 minutes left and took the lead.
The game winning goal was scored by McGrath. She used her head to shoot the ball off a long throw in by Lindsey Balsley. The ricochet went straight into the corner of the net, streaking by the defenders not even close to being blocked.
As the game came to an end, the Islander defense stayed as sturdy as a brick wall, not allowing anyone past them, thus keeping the lead and securing the 4-3 victory.
The next home game for the Coronado Islander girls varsity soccer team is on Wednesday, February 8th at 6pm against rivals the Point Loma Pointers, who are currently 7-4-3 and 3-1 League.
