WSOC: Lady Riders slip past Tenaha, 1-0
Friday night at Roughrider Stadium. The Lady Riders won the
scrimmage, 1-0. (Photo by Ray Jackson)
The Center Lady Riders scored a first-half goal in the 25th minute when Erika Figueroa was able to get a rebound of a deflected shot past Tenaha goalie Camryn Sisk and that was all the offense that CHS would need in a 1-0 scrimmage win Friday night at Roughrider Stadium.
Raquel Hernandez played in goal for Center and didn't finish any shots on goal as the Lady Rider defense didn't allow deep penetration near the Center end of the field all night long.
"I thought our team played a lot more aggressive than they did against Kilgore," said Center head coach Jonathan Vick. "We had 24 shots, which means we still need to learn how to finish if we are going to have any chance of playing with the more experienced teams.
"We are very young. And the turning point is when the players start to trust the players around them. We had a problem in Kilgore with players not trusting those around them. In that scrimmage our players tried to do 'too much', meaning they worried about other positions on the field.
"Against Tenaha they worried about their position, which created more spacing and opportunities."
Camryn Sisk played in goal for the Lady Tigers, allowing one goal, with 16 saves. She posted 11 saves in the first half and five in the second.
"Our defense had difficulty defending the ball, stopping the ball and clearing to midfield during the first half, said Tenaha head coach Lauri Sisk. "Our midfielders and forwards had to drop back and assist the defense and we don't want to have to do that.
"During the second half the defense began to connect with the ball, clearing it to midfield, giving our offense a chance to control the ball, but the offense couldn't put the ball in the net to even the score late in the second half."
Sisk said her squad has played improved second halves, but needs to concentrate playing a complete match effort.
"In the first two scrimmages against Hudson and Center, the girls have played significantly better in the second half," the coach explained. "We are clearly a second half team, so we need to concentrate on playing consistently every minute of each half.
"We have to find the key to better first-half starts defensively so our offense can have a chance to put the ball in the net.
"Overall I'm extremely pleased with our team in the respect that we've only allowed one goal against Center during the first half. Camryn has made some aggressive saves and made it difficult for the opposing team to get anywhere near the goal box."
The coach commended the play of Itziana Martinez for strong back-up and assist with the goalie. Martinez made a header that prevented a possible score by the Lady Riders.
For the Lady Riders, Vick said his team is young, with 15 of the 19 girls playing in only their second " competitive soccer match" at the high school level. He said his squad still has a long ways to go, but the effort has been there.
Center was scheduled to open the 2012 season on Monday night at Spring Hill, but the match was cancelled. The Lady Tigers will be playing in the Palestine Tournament beginning Thursday.
Tenaha's season opener Tuesday night against Carthage was cancelled due to poor field conditions. The Lady Tigers will take on Palestine at 3:20 p.m. in the Palestine Tournament on Thursday to begin the 2012 campaign.