Estancia, Panthers battle to a draw

Chris Yemma

The odds were in favor of the Estancia High girls soccer team Tuesday

at TeWinkle Middle School.

After all, they outshot visiting Orange, 14-1, in the second half

of both teams’ Golden West League opener. But every time an Estancia

player took a shot, it seemed as if the ball and the goal were

opposite magnets, propelling each other away and never making

contact.

And if there would have been a scoreboard at TeWinkle, both teams

would have placed goose eggs on it, as the game resulted in a 0-0

draw.

“In the second half the girls were a lot more aggressive than they

usually play,” Estancia Coach Natalie Rainey said. “I think they

worked on their passing and their communication in the second half.”

The second half was the key for the Eagles (4-1-2, 0-0-1 in

league). The ball stayed on Estancia’s half of the field virtually

the entire second half, and when it did squirt over to the other

side, Eagle defenders quickly swooped in on it.

Orange (5-0-1, 0-0-1) only took one shot on Estancia’s second-half

goalie Julia Tasedan (Marci Kirchberg played the first half), but

even that was just a low-velocity grounder that she easily handled.

Estancia finished the game with 29 total shots, compared with

Orange’s 10, on the short, narrow field.

The Eagles’ season-leading goal scorer Haley Rosner, a junior, had

numerous attempts that were just wide, just short, or just over.

That was the day’s theme for Estancia.

“We need to work on our corner kicks and finishing our shots,”

Rainey said. “I guess just being more aggressive. Our girls get

pushed off the ball a lot, but that’s something that’s hard to teach

-- I can only teach them so much and beyond that it has to come from

them.”

Despite the tie, though, Estancia is off to one of its best starts

in years. Under a new coaching staff that has set its sights high,

the team already has two more wins than it had all of last season.

But there was a reason why the Panthers were 5-0 entering the

game. Against the Eagles, however, they were without that reason, as

senior captain Alma Marcelo was away for family reasons. Marcelo is

Orange’s leading goal scorer with eight goals in five games.

“If you take our offensive weapon out, it just leads to a domino

effect,” Orange Coach Mitch Ryan said. “She is a game changer from

the moment she steps on the field.”

“It’s OK because the girls did their best,” Rainey said. “It’s a

good learning experience for us.”