ROYALS DOMINATE GECKOS IN BATTLE OF SOCCER TOP TEAMS

By Nolan Miles

The Notre Dame Royals dominated the GW Geckos in a matchup between two of the top teams in the IIAAG Girls Soccer League on Wednesday afternoon. Thanks to an all-around team effort which resulted in six different Royal players scoring, ND handily defeated the Geckos 8-2.

The Royals prevailed once again in a rematch of the 2017 IIAAG title game. Brianne Leon Guerrero and Abigail San Gil led the Royals with two goals apiece, in the impressive offensive display.

Cold Stone Players of the Game: Abigail San Gil and Brianne Leon Guerrero

ND got things going early with Lauren Phillips scoring in the first minute of the game. Phillips controlled a pass and slotted it past the keeper for the quick 1-0 lead.

Not too long after, Leon Guerrero stretched the lead with her first goal of the night. Her 4th minute strike put the Royals up 2-0 early in the game.

Shyann Roberto got in on the fun with a goal in the 8th minute of the game. Roberto blasted the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net for a 3-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the game.

The Royals never let GW get into the game as they dominated possession and kept the Gecko defense and goalkeeper on their toes with multiple shots on goal for a majority of the half.

San Gil scored her first goal in the 26th minute of the game, and Elysia Perez added a goal of her own in the 33rd minute of the game to widen the lead to 5-0. San Gil then closed out the half with her second goal of the game in the 37th minute to push the halftime lead to 6-0.

“Passing was the key to getting everyone involved in our offense, we really focused on just finding the open teammate and communicating.” said Leon Guerrero. San Gil added “ We just had a great start, and that really boosted our confidence to get more involved.”

Notre Dame started off right where they left off in the second half with a goal from defender, Cedera Aguilar, in the 46th minute. Aguilar put one past the keeper, off a rebound from a corner kick to put the streaking Royals up 7-0.

GW struggled to get going for a large part of the game as the Notre Dame defense led by, Isabella Bass, were able to keep Gecko superstar, Jalana Garcia, and the rest of the offense in check for most of the game.

Leon Guerrero sealed the game with a strike in the 66th minute, putting her second goal of the day past the keeper for the big 8-0 lead.
Garcia did try getting her team back in the game, with two goals in the 68th and 73rd minutes to put her team on the board. But the comeback proved to be too little too late, as the Royals locked in defensively to close out the game and preserve the 8-2 win.

With the playoffs right around the corner, ND looks to already be in championship form. “We just need to stay focused now, and stay humble; we’re looking forward to playoffs and hopefully we can secure the championship.” said Leon Guerrero.

The Royals are looking for their third straight championship, and with those expectations come a lot of pressure. “There’s a lot of pressure on our team, but we still have to keep our head in the game and just focus on taking one game at a time.” said San Gil.

With the win the Royals stay undefeated in the IIAAG Girls Soccer League and look to maintain their winning ways into the playoffs. Meanwhile the GW Geckos will look to rebound on Saturday against Okkodo.

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