Sac State women’s soccer team draws against Northern Arizona
Hornets unbeaten streak now at 11
Sac State sophomore midfielder Camila Fonseca kicks the ball against Northern Arizona on Friday, Oct. 4 at Hornet Field. Fonseca scored the only goal for the Hornets in a 1-1 draw with the Lumberjacks.
October 5, 2019
The Sacramento State women’s soccer team, led by sophomore midfielder Camila Fonseca, tied Northern Arizona University Friday 1-1.
The Hornets and Lumberjacks played an even first half, tied at zero at the break.
At the beginning of the second half in the 46th minute, Fonseca scored thanks to an assist from junior forward Kylee Kim-Bustillos, to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
Fonseca chipped the ball twice to pass the defenders and fired it into the back of the net.
“To be honest, I knew I just had to run it in and once that cross came in, it came to me,” Fonseca said. “I wasn’t really planning what to do, but I got one play off, then another one and I just took the shot.”
In the 65th minute, Northern Arizona junior defender Emma Robson scored to level the game at one.
Both teams were held scoreless the rest of the second half and in both overtime periods. With the final result, Sac State has tied in each of their last three matches.
Northern Arizona’s tactics and style were problematic for Sac State.
In the first half of the game, Northern Arizona’s high pressure resulted in many turnovers for the Hornets on their side of the field.
“They pressed hard with their midfield and forwards on our backs, so sometimes turnovers are going to happen,” head coach Randy Dedini said. “I thought we did a good job adjusting to it after a while, but there were about 15 minutes in that first half that they put us under a lot of pressure and created some turnovers.”
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Watch my postgame interview with @SacStateWSoccer senior defender Mia Wilson @SH_Sports @sacstate pic.twitter.com/PzRwHa2Ypa
— Vince Castellana (@VinceCastellana) October 5, 2019
Hornets’ senior defender Mia Wilson also echoed Dedini’s sentiments.
“That team just plays with a different style of play, something that we had to get used to as the game went on,” Wilson said. “Just controlling the ball is something that we had to figure out throughout the game. But when it led up to the end of the first half and the second half, we definitely started to pick it up.”
According to Dedini, the reason why the team was able to respond to the pressure of Northern Arizona was that they began to play more through their midfield.
“If they’re going to press and their backs are going to drop, the midfield is a big space to cover,” said Dedini.
The Hornets’ next game is against Southern Utah University at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hornet Field.
