Coach Carlson and his Lady Bruin varsity soccer team started league play at home Thursday afternoon hosting the Sutherlin Lady Bulldogs. Two very determined teams met on the pitch, and defense and fast break offense was the highlight.
The Lady Bruins would strike first in the first half of play off of a handball penalty kick, giving the Lady Bruins an early 1-0 lead just ten minutes into the game.
The game then turned into a defensive battle as both teams fought for control with fierce midfield play. Both teams punished each other as play was contained between both teams penalty boxes and both teams ran an offside trap in an attempt to control the speed of the others attacking forwards.
As the first half played out, both teams had chances in front of the goal with break-aways and loose balls, but it wasn’t until the 33:00 minute mark in the first half of play that the Lady Bulldogs took advantage of a defensive mistake and tied the score 1-1 beating the Lady Bruin trap.
Going into the second half of play, the Lady Bulldogs wasted no time, catching the Lady Bruin defense flat footed early, and took a 1-2 lead on a fast break that got behind the defense and beat the Lady Bruin keeper.
Now with a 1-2 lead and momentum, mid-field control became intense as the Lady Bruins pressed the Sutherlin offside trap, but the Lady Bruins just could not get open shots when they did get in position.
But the Lady Bruin offense kept working, pressuring the Sutherlin defense, earning a direct free kick at the edge of penalty box. Senior Megan Pearson #18 took the kick and placed it in the bottom left corner of the net, to tie the game at 2-2 with just over 30 minutes to play.
With the pressure intensified at 2-2, both teams turned up the heat at mid-field, challenging traps and errant passes, looking for a mistake to exploit. Mid way through the second half, the Lady Bulldogs broke through the Lady Bruin off-side trap, scoring and giving Sutherlin a 2-3 lead late. This was followed moments later by an Lady Bruin own goal off of a Sutherlin deep drive putting the Lady Bulldogs up 2-4.
With the clock running down late, Lady Bruin forward senior Hannah James gathered a pass into the penalty box and ripped a shot past the Sutherlin keeper, closing the gap to 3-4 with less than 10:00 minutes left to play.
The Lady Bruins kept pressuring the Lady Bulldogs, but Sutherlin was able to hold on late to take the league opener 3-4. “I’m really proud of how the girls played today.” Lady Bruin head coach Brian Carlson told the Compass after the game. “They competed to the end and that’s what we ask of them. As with all games, we will look at the positives, learn from the areas we need to improve, and continue to grow as a team.”
The Lady Bruins travel to Crescent City Monday, to challenge the Del Norte Lady Warriors in a non-league contest between two local Hwy. 101 rivals at 5:00pm.
