Lincoln’s attack leads to win

Rick Devereux

An overcast sky threatened to rain on Lincoln and California in the

girls third- and fourth-grade gold-division game at the Costa Mesa

Sports Farm Complex Friday, but the weather didn’t dampen the field

or the spirits of the players during the 6-0 Leopard win.

Lincoln used a disciplined attack and a four-goal performance by

forward Karsten Sigband to pressure the Cougars throughout the game.

Sigband gathered a California goalkick, raced through the defense

and scored early in the game for Lincoln. Katie Groke passed to

Sigband on the left side, who mazed her way through traffic and made

it 2-0 moments later.

California did not give up hope despite the early hole and playing

without substitutions. Sigband pushed up the left line again and shot

from the 18-meter line, but California goaltender Christine Mason was

there to make the save. Danni Blackman led a counter-attack for the

Cougars, but the Lincoln defense thwarted the advance.

Sigband’s control of the ball was too much for California,

however. She stopped and started, darted and dashed, kicked and

controlled her way inside the penalty box and scored on a shot to the

upper-right of the net.

With much of the Cougar defense concentrating on the whereabouts

of Sigband, Grace Kennedy was able to push up the left side and score

a goal to make it 4-0 Lincoln.

The Leopards used substitutions to keep fresh players in the game

and wear down California. Noelle Gooding entered the game and blasted

a ball at the net, but Mason stopped the shot. At least initially,

because the ball rolled away from her and almost crossed the goal

line, but she quickly recovered and saved the goal.

Cougar defender Frances Thorpe put herself between the ball and

the goal by jumping in front of a powerful shot by Sigband. Thorpe

rubbed her shoulder from the sting of the shot, but she helped keep

the score 4-0 at the end of the first half.

California played tough defense in the second half, but a hand

ball inside the penalty box resulted in Annabelle Pidgeon’s penalty

shot that increased the lead to 5-0.

Pidgeon had a chance for her second goal of the game when she

raced down the right side and fired a shot that was blocked by

Blacman, who volunteered to be the Cougar goaltender for the second

half.

Sigband added another goal that hit the cross bar and fell behind

the goal line for the final 6-0 score.