File photo – The Fortuna Huskies will try to bounce from Saturday’s loss when they play at McKinleyville on Tuesday afternoon.
Round one of the heavyweight battle between the Eureka and Fortuna girls at Albee Stadium went the Loggers’ way on Saturday, but there’s a lot of soccer still to be played this fall.
Facing off in the first of three league games between the two schools, the Loggers won 2-0 thanks to a pair of goals by senior Ella Tollefson, but the game remained in the balance until a late penalty kick secured the win for the home team.
Despite the loss, which was their first of the season, the Huskies remain well in the chase for the league championship.
And, according to head coach Arnulfo Aguirre, there were plenty of positives for the Huskies.
“I must commend our team’s exceptional execution of our game plan during the first half,” he said. “We left Eureka frustrated while possessing the ball, restricting their attacking options and possessing the ball, albeit struggling to find the net.”
One of the highlights of the game was a penalty kick save by Fortuna goalkeeper Lilly Calderon late in the first half to keep her team on level terms.
The two sides went into halftime tied 0-0.
The Loggers, however, got the breakthrough goal early in the second half and would make it count.
The Huskies were forced to make some changes to their lineup because of injuries and defensive midfielder Brylee Barsanti switched to center back and played well in the new role.
“Barsanti rose to the occasion, delivering an outstanding performance,” Aguirre said.
Despite going behind early in the second half, the Fortuna players remained focused.
“Our girls remained undaunted, pushing forward relentlessly,” the head coach added. “Despite this setback, our girls remained resilient and determined, pushing forward relentlessly.”
The Eureka defense, however, has yet to allow a goal this season and the Loggers were able to see the game out.
“Unfortunately, fatigue began to take its toll,” Aguirre said of his team. “And maintaining possession became a challenge. Eureka cleverly forced us into a chasing game whenever they had the ball.”
The Fortuna girls, who are ow 1-1 in league and 10-1 overall, will try to bounce back when they travel to play McKinleyville on Tuesday afternoon.
“Our team poured their hearts into the game, giving it their all,” Aguirre said.
Not a chasing game if the front press and mid-block press are executed properly, forcing the opposition into risky passes through the half spaces or over the top switch of play that becomes a likely 50/50 ball…
…a properly executed press forces the opponent to commit without reversing play. Of course, team shape is also pertinent to chasing when gaps between players creates #’s strength. It feels like chasing when the shape is unfit for use, requiring a different shape.
One thing to try against a team with a stellar defense is not try so hard to score so quick… must learn to find that crack…to either dribble-drive into PA for a potential PK foul, or move laterally to set-up that shot between defenders in the gaps and spaces, especially if the goal scorer can bend it, or make a great counter attack when backed-up in defensive 1/3 zone on field of play…
…One thing that would greatly help out in entertainment news is what shape(s), formations the participating teams executed during the match.