Well-played win for Lady Aztecs

BARSTOW • Despite the all the youth on its roster, not to mention those injured and still missing from that roster, the Barstow girls soccer team is coming together and getting its game in gear.

The Lady Aztecs added on their second league victory, and third overall, of the season Tuesday, hosting Victor Valley and coming away with a 5-2 win.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading possession and both getting off a few shots. It was a 1-1 tie at halftime, but in the second, the Aztecs played more as a team and worked well together, which led to four goals being scored.

It was the type of game coach Brenda Banks has been looking for all season, the kind of game she knew her players were always capable of putting on the field.

“We’re finally coming together, we’re starting to play soccer instead of kickball,” she said after Tuesday’s win. “When we play controlled soccer, we play well.”

The home team got on the board first. Lexyss Rubio made a bid for a goal just three minutes into the match, but had her shot caught by the Jackrabbits keeper. A few minutes later, though, she wouldn’t be denied, as she sprinted to a loose ball and put in a shot from about 25 yards out. Less than a minute later, however, Victor’s Krista Arias-Moreno scored on a breakaway, leaving it 1-1 at the break.

There was much parity in the first half, but the second belonged to the Aztecs. The home team established dominance just a minute in, when Noemi Martinez untied the score and put her team up for good with a shot that dribbled by the keeper’s outstretched hands.

The Aztecs showed some nice teamwork on their next goal. Presley Hood took a corner kick that landed in traffic in front of the net. Miranda Peralta took control and was able to get the ball through the scrim in front and push it over the line.

The Jackrabbits did their best to keep it close, getting one back shortly after. Vanessa Razo fought her way to the net, broke free, and scored alone on a break. That made it a 3-2 game, and was a test for the Aztecs. It was moments like this that Banks would sometimes see her team panic and make some wrong moves, but the girls kept their composure.

“We played with control in the second,” said coach Banks. “We’re finally staying settled and not overreacting and letting things rattle us.”

The Aztecs didn’t back down. Shortly after Victor’s second goal, Barstow got it back. Rubio took a shot that the keeper deflected away, but Clorinda Ochoa was right there to finish, making it 4-2. The final tally came with just under two minutes left in the match, with Hood getting a rebound goal.

Along with the offense, the Aztecs also defended well. Players like Autumn Hazlett and Angelica Baca did well in back, and keeper Empriss Gardener made some big saves, including denying Arias-Moreno’s bid for a second goal with a diving knock-away in the second half.

The kickball variety of soccer is no fun to watch, and neither is it fun to play, according to Hood. She’s happy her team is working well together and starting to play an exciting, and successful, brand of soccer.

“We’ve been practicing hard and are working better as a team,” she said. “We pushed hard in the second half today and worked on making better passes. The first half was like ping pong; in the second, we played smarter. We concentrated on playing our game, not their game.”

The win left the Aztecs with records of 2-3-2 in the Desert Sky Conference, 3-7-2 overall. The Jackrabbits fell to 1-8-2.

“The way we played today shows the progress we’ve made,” said coach Banks. “It shows how we’ve matured this season.”

 Hood agreed.

“Some of our losses have been really frustrating, because I know we’re a solid team,” she said. “We have a lot of talent and it’s finally showing.”

The Aztecs’ next home game is next Thursday, Jan. 26, against Granite Hills.