MAESTROCAMPO NETS HAT TRICK IN WIN OVER PANTHERS

By Paradis Jolie Fejerang

With the sun beaming down on the dry GW field, the Southern High girls met up to face off with Guam High’s athletes for what would end up being a very competitive soccer game for the Interscholastic Girls High School Football League. The GHS Panthers have had an impressive run thus far in the season, with consistent offensive domination on the field but today’s game ended with the Lady Tuninos taking the win with four goals, three of which shot by junior Cindy Maestrocampo for a hat trick, over a mere two by the Panthers.

Going into the game, Dolphin senior captain Analea Meno shared some insight into how the team was adjusting their game-time tactics in preparation to face their high-scoring competitors. “We switched up our lineup to be defensively strong and have been working on our shooting,” Meno states. “We noticed that even though they have high scoring games, [Guam High does] happen to get scored on, so we took that into account and thought ‘Maybe, their defensive line isn’t as strong as their offense.’”

Lead scorer of the game Maestrocampo provides that despite their defense heavy practice, the team was a bit distressed to face Guam High based solely off what they have heard about their offense. Still, the Dolphins plan to focus mainly on having a strong defense with some extra time working on perfecting their shots on goal proved to be successful. 

The entirety of the game seemed a fair match with the offensively-strong Panthers and defensively-focused Dolphins keeping the ball securely within midfield. Luckily for midfielder Meno, her recent practice mixed with her skills in attacking made for the perfect ability to spot an offensive opportunity and make sure her team sends the ball down Guam High’s field.

The first goal was made so just seven minutes in as the Southern team was able to work fast and still have enough energy early on to prioritize communication and support Maestrocampo as she broke past Guam High’s seemingly hesitant defensive line and takes her shot straight into the right side of the net.

After a few more attempted shots on goal by the Dolphins, Guam High makes a tactful switch with a couple players moving around in working on improving their spatial awareness on the field. 

Even as the Panthers were making clear improvements with their athlete’s better configured on the field, Southern was able to send the ball forward one more time with less than ten minutes of game time in the first half left and allowing Maestrocampo to once again make her way to the Panther goal. This time, however, the placement of the send was so strategically past the Guam High defensive line, that the Panther goalkeeper stepped to the top of the goal box to meet Maestrocampo in a one-on-one where the Dolphin athlete took a touch to the left and made the second Southern goal of the day on a keeperless Panther goal.

Into the second half, the Panthers made sure they had a mark on Meno at all times and amped up their communication on the field. With an excellent display of teamwork, Nykale Penn was consistent in supporting her teammates during every opportunity to bring the ball into the Southern side of the pitch and when the time was right, Penn let them know when to pass it off so she could have her shot on goal. Though Penn’s shot from the left side was deflected by Southern’s GK, Penn’s shot led to an opportunity that Panther Aubrey Ibanez was not about to let up as she charged into the box, making Guam High’s first point of the game within the first minute.

Though they were now on the board, there was clear frustration on the field by the Panther athletes. As frustration materialized into amped up physicality, multiple rushed plays that just led to missed shots on-goal and targeted words to referees and fellow athletes, Guam High was able to shake their Southern opponents enough to grant them a corner kick. With Ibanez having made the first goal for the Panthers, she took the corner kick and was able to lift the ball to just the right height for Penn to get off the ground and get a header just under the crossbar, evening the score with their competitors.

With ease, however, Maestrocampo returned the favor within minutes to get the Tuninos back on top and leading the Panthers into a state of distress once more.

To further confirm their win, with about fifteen minutes left in the game, Meno takes the ball down the left side of the field and toys with the GHS defenders on her own before finding an opening to switch the field, crossing the ball for Southern sophomore Miomi-Rose Blas to have a clean shot into the net from behind the Panther keeper.

Even with their win, Meno and Maestrocampo know that the Tuninos are going to be getting right back to work during the next practice. Maestrocampo, acknowledging that this is probably the most difficult game they have played so far during the season, could tell that her team was getting exhausted and should have done better. 

“We should work more on communication and our passing,” Meno light-heartedly shares about her team. “We are rushing and sending the balls to Pluto, so we should definitely clean it up a little.”

Maestrocampo agrees, but continues to add that there are still some chemistry kinks that the Dolphins need to work out as there are some new additions to the team. “Some of us have been together since we were in U8, but we need to be able to work as well with everyone else on the team.”

Both teams will be back on the pitch on Monday, April 22. Southern will take on Okkodo at the Guam High field at 4:30. After that, Guam High will be able to get onto their home turf in a game against Notre Dame set to begin at 6:30.

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