Women's Soccer returns to the winning column with a 1-0 win against LA City
The Monarchs manage to squeeze out a win after a frenzy of red cards in an earlier game forced them to play shorthanded.
By: James Archer and Joshua Kahn, Staff Writers
In a contest marked by 21 fouls and two yellow cards, the women’s soccer team nudged out a 1-0 victory over LA City College on Friday at Monarch Stadium.
Coming off a chaotic, brawl-shortened loss earlier in the week that left the Monarchs four-players short, the women returned to their winning ways and now boast a 5-2 record.
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Santa Ana ended with red cards and apologies, but Friday’s bounceback was decided early as the Monarchs led a strong offensive push during the first 45 minutes.
That momentum was followed by a physical, dramatic defensive stance in the final 45 to protect that narrow lead.
Missing Jennifer Tejo, Julia Morgan, Leslie Perez and Maria Rodriguez due to the red card suspensions, the Monarchs relied heavily on the remaining roster to step up.
Early into the first half, Valley dictated the pace and possession of the ball early on, combined with City’s sloppy start that included seven fouls within the first 30 minutes.
Two early shots on goal, Amy Valdez set the offensive pace and Houri Torossian almost scored when she struck the crossbar at the 17:35 mark followed by an immediate shot from Halley Mallas.
The barrage of shots finally paid off at the 26:21 mark when Torossian netted her first goal of the season, securing the 1-0 lead.
City managed to lock in those remaining minutes of the first half to flip the script and offensively pin Valley into their own zone, threatening their thin lead.
However, Monarch Keeper Karla Dado successfully saved four-out-of-four attempted goals by City, sparing Valley a potentially devastating second half.
Head Coach Jonathan Horst said after the game, “I can’t tell you how many great things our goalie did today. She was able to put the team on her back and help us win the game since we really didn’t have a lot of offense today in the second half.”
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