Women's Soccer Get Their Revenge on State Champions
The Rams kept their undefeated record going, moving to 6-0 on the season with a win over the team that took them out in last year's playoffs.
City College defeated state champions Sierra College 1-0 after a late header from Chemnui Simpson in the 87th minute.
The Rams have played Sierra College three times in a span of a calendar year, with a record of two and one; they were eliminated by Sierra College in the playoffs in November of last year.
City College played a very contested game with Sierra, with possession changing hands so rapidly that you could blink and the ball would be on the other side of the pitch. City College’s back four were always in constant threat of aerial attacks and a high press, though they mitigated the threats of Sierra College’s tenacity.
“I knew they're a tested team. They're a strong team. I knew that if we gave them opportunities, we could bend but not break,” said Coach Jeff Wilson.
City College’s keeper Mariah Flores had a stellar performance, with multiple saves and coming out from her line for clearances, stopping very dangerous shots and keeping composure in the face of a constantly moving Sierra College.
“Our goalkeeper is just really, really calm. Kalea Dwelle, our All-American center back, her and Rhiana Gardon, they're a really good pair. I mean, all together our defense was great,” said Wilson.
City College’s retaliatory attacks on the wings were superb, with fast breaks and several attempts on goals from Simpson and Abigael Zennadi.
Simpson seemed not herself at times, with hesitant moments, not finishing at the definitive moment. With multiple shots, one was bound to go in. City College's threats were not very substantial, though the back line of Sierra were compromised at multiple moments, from ankle breakers, fast counters, cheeky lobs and low passes on the wings.
“The more times you get in there, the greater the chance that you're going to score. The percentages go up, and I told her, don't be so hard on yourself. Just keep going, and that's what we kind of pride ourselves on, is that we're hungry. We want to keep learning. We want to keep getting better,” said Wilson.
Simpson had moments alone with the keeper, yet was not able to connect on a finish. Her perseverance proved keen in their final moment, with the header coming from a free kick, her positioning being pinpoint for a perfect header.
“Every set piece like that, where it can drop in the box, or a corner I know if it comes to me, it's gonna be a goal. So I was pretty confident, and then it just happened to fall perfectly. So I try and expect an opportunity whenever,” said Simpson.
“Our team used the game plan from beginning to end, and I think that showed a lot about who we are. We had talked about the way that they play, and I think that we stayed calm in the right moments and just waited for our moment. I told them it would come down to a moment or two for them,” said Wilson.
City College was on the brink of letting up goals throughout the second half, with an offside goal in the second half from Sierra College being discounted. City College looked shaky around the 60th minute with multiple shots from crosses, some barely inching from being on goal. Multiple fouls were committed by City College in the name of stopping Sierra College at all costs, culminating in Gabriella Jackson being shown a yellow card for holding after attempting to stop a Sierra College player from advancing in an open area for a cross.
“We knew that they were good at set pieces, and I think we were just fouling because we were caught, but we were able to recover from them,” said Rams assistant coach and former player Naré Avetian.
City College was doing anything to stay in a game that was looking more like a tie before the goal from Simpson. City College’s fighting spirit was the determining factor in this game. Not for a moment did they look tuned out or disheartened, always hungry for a defining moment in the game. Sierra has proved to be their most formidable opponent, with no resistance or challenge from the other teams in their conference.
Several corner kicks were given to Sierra College, with an absolute conviction to score, though thwarted by the cunning on the back line of the City College. The attacking front even dropped to assist their midfield and defense in clearance and battling possession.
“This team is very aerial-like. So we just needed to make sure that we were getting on those headers, and it was scary at times. But just communication is the key to everything,” said Avetian.
City College is currently undefeated with its next home game coming up on Friday, Oct. 2, against the Foothill College Owls at 4 p.m.
