After a battle in the second half, girls soccer was able to put away yet another win this season last Friday against Santa Monica.
From the very beginning, the girls dominated the field. With strong passes and numerous shots on goal, the team was able to constantly keep the ball on Santa Monica’s half and play an offensive game.
“I think we did well. In the first half we were connecting a lot of passes,” co-captain Shannon Davidson said.
In the first half alone, players Shannon Davidson, Kaitlynn Mcmullin, and Amanda Goldstein were able to breach Santa Monica’s defense and score goals, bringing the halftime score to a 3-0 lead for Redondo.
“Our first goal was our strongest play because we started playing out of the back. We found Shannon, the other team captain and she just set the tone and got a goal for us which was really helpful,” co-captain Amanda Goldstein said.
Starting the second half, Redondo’s communication started to weaken. Focusing on constant ball movement and running, Santa Monica was able to spread out across Redondo’s defense, evening the playing field.
“I think we played a more possession-based game, and they played more of a running game. When we win the play and go up field, they go in and just kick it across the field. When all of our momentum and tempo is going one way, it’s hard to transition backwards, so I think that’s what got us,” right outside-back Reese Wroblewski said.
Back and forth shots were taken on both team’s goals, until Santa Monica was able to score twice through penalty and free kicks, bringing the score to 3-2 Redondo with 6:54 left on the clock.
“I think the first goal Santa Monica scored was kind of a mistake, and I think that kind of shifted [our] momentum. We lost our drive to go forward, and instead [Santa Monica was] in our half a lot,” Davidson said.
As the scoring gap closed in, both teams started hustling more for shots, until one Redondo player found an opening in Santa Monica’s defense with 4:20 left on the clock.
“I was kind of frustrated, because it wasn’t anyone’s fault that we were down and that the game was getting a little closer than we wanted. I just saw a shot, took it, and was pretty happy,” Goldstein said.
With a final winning score of 4-2, multiple Redondo players agreed that Santa Monica’s strong suit was their constant movement. In the end though, the team brought it back and banded together to take home the win.
“We continue to grow every game,” Wroblewski said. “Communication can always be better and movement of the ball, but that’s something we can work on in every game scenario. I think we did pretty well.”
