| It was a very cold, windy day, the ground heavily gopher-cratered and hard. Santa Catina kicked off into strong headwind moving tentatively over the rough ground. The ball skipped and bounced awkwardly, making their usual passing game very difficult. Anzar on the other hand, was more comfortable on the rough ground and showed a lot of speed. They had also developed a style of running play suited to the tough terrian. Consequently, the first half saw a lot of back and forth play with Santa Catalina averaging about 60% possession, and both teams having about six shots each on goal. For the second half, with the wind at their backs and feeling a bit more comfortable on the uneven surface, Santa Catalina played in control with 14 shots to Anzar's 5. In the 58th minute Meredith was fouled (again) about 10 yards outside Anzar's penalty area. Katie sent a long ball to the far post where Sarah Wright headed it into the net! Santa Catalina had many more solid chances to score, including a shot from Ryann that hit the upright, and another header off a corner kick that Sarah Wright almost put away. Shelby Carroll had another great game in goal - her confidence growing each game! Maggie, Katie, Sam and Kaitlin worked very hard in the back under difficult conditions. Sarah Luksik, April, Blair, Meredith and Ryann worked tirelessly in midfield, and Sarah Wright, Danielle and Kate did wonders up top. Perhaps the best result today was that nobody was hurt because of the playing surface (or lack thereof) |