Hornets start season with 0-2 mark
Image: Hornets start season with 0-2 mark::
September 11, 2002
The first two games of the season ended in heart-breaking defeat for the Sacramento State women?s soccer team.
The Hornets suffered two losses this weekend, first a 1-0 loss at home on Friday to the University of the Pacific, and a 3-2 double-overtime road loss to the University of San Francisco.
Pacific?s Lucera Gallegos scored the game?s only goal when she broke through the Hornet defense and scored in the 82nd minute of play.
“We started off slow. We waited until we were down, and then we stepped it up,” said Karen Hanks, the newly appointed head coach of the women?s soccer team. “If we were able to maintain that sort of intensity throughout the entire game, we would have won.”
Against USF, the Hornets started out with a 4-4-2 formation, but slowly eased into a 3-4-3 structure as the game wore on.
Sac State gave up two goals before half time, giving up the first to the Don?s Rebecca Shookin in the 33rd minute, and the second to Ashley Davis in the 36th.
Jaymie Kocer, however, retaliated against San Francisco in the 37th minute with an unassisted 10-yard chip over the head of the Don?s goalie Stephanie Brall.
In the 66th minute of play, Lisa Wrightsman, the Hornet?s seasoned veteran, skillfully maneuvered her way through a gauntlet of Dons and had a wide open opportunity for a point-blank shot on goal, when Brall seized Wrightsman?s ankle from behind and threw her to the ground.
The penalty kick, executed by Linda Sanchez went wide, flying high over the goalpost.
A simmering Brall was ejected on a red-card violation.
In the 78th minute Linda Sanchez scored the tying goal on an assist from Hillaree Guay.
A well-placed penalty kick by the Don?s Stacy Caro with 30 seconds left on the clock in the second overtime proved to be the game winner.
“We took too long to figure out how they were playing,” said Hanks, “We were trying to feel them out, and it just took too long. They were lucky on that last shot though.”
Despite a rough start, the Hornets remain optimistic about the team?s future.
“The team is getting better. As long as they improve everything should be ok,” said Hanks. “The team is still figuring things out. We have only one senior, Lisa Wrightsman. The rest are mostly freshman, and sophomores.”
The Hornets had an edge in shooting, taking 15 shots, with nine being on goal, compared to 15 shots by the Dons.
USF was less accurate than the Hornets with only seven shots on goal, scoring three.
Wrightsman, who is 11 goals away from breaking the hornets all-time scoring record, led the team with six shots, four of which were on goal.
Sanchez also had a solid performance, with three shots and one goal.
The Hornets next two matches will be on Friday at 3:00 pm at Utah State, and Sunday at the University of Wyoming at noon.
