SHARKS GET 2-1 WIN OVER EAGLES

By Kai Akimoto

The Sanchez Sharks fended off the Harvest Lady Eagles with a 2-1 victory in IIAAG high school girls’ soccer. Caylani Estoy and Jackie Duenas Brub both netted in goals and Jade Torre producing a consistent defensive performance to grab the Sharks’ their first win of the season.

The score remained deadlock at 0-0 for nearly the entire half as the Eagles’ dictated possession of the ball for a majority of the first half, however, the Sharks’ defense viciously prowled the ball and would keep the Eagles from getting any easy shots.

The Sharks defense displayed a good performance as a unit, but it would be Jade Torre who accounts for much of the pressure being put on the ball and not allowing the eagles any easy shots at goal.

“We’re a small team, physically. Our coach tells us to never let another team push you down. It’s always good if a team starts to push you because it means that now you can push back, but we try to focus on not letting it get too much to us.”

Although the victory can be attributed to a stellar defensive effort, the Sharks also proved efficient on the offensive end as they were able to capitalize when they found the ball on the opposite side of the pitch. Caylani Estoy would grab the first score of the game in the 23rd minute on a free kick from five meters out. Jackie Duenas Brub would also collect herself a score as she netted in a goal from 20 meters out on an assist from Tatiana Annanich in the 45th minute.

“The key for us in this game was really communication. As players we always encourage each other to communicate and it really helps us to work as a unit. We were 0-2, so we had to find a way to pick each other up on the field, and only heart wins the game,” said Torre on the major factor in their defensive performance.

The Eagles’ continued to move the ball into position to score, but the Sharks would put on the pressure with lurking in the waters on defense, quickly closing in on the ball and would shoot down the eagles’ chances of finding the goal.

Goalkeeper, Angelyn Sobrevilla, locked up the net for most of the game, garnering 10 saves for the Sharks. It wouldn’t be until the 30th minute that the Eagles would be able to get on the board as Sabrina Kenny strung in a penalty kick to bring the game 2-1.

The Eagles’ would continue to retain possession despite a heavy downpour of rain to create opportunities to get shot attempts, but the Sharks wouldn’t allow another goal to be scored for the remainder of the game. The score would remain 2-1 as the clock expired to give the Simon Sanchez Sharks their second win of the season.

“In the past our defense hasn’t been too good, so we focused on preparing to come out hard defensively for this game. Today, I was really happy to see that we were able to produce on defense as well as on offense. We’re a small team not just physically but also in numbers, so we still have a lot to improve on in regards to aggression, skill, and mentality.”

The Sharks now improve to 1-2 with their first win of the season. Their next match up will be against the GW geckos who are are on a hot streak with an undefeated record.

PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY: