U16 girls kickers win two games over weekend
CUPERTINO – The DeAnza Flash – an U16 competitive girls soccer squad made up of players from Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill – picked up a pair of wins over the Peninsula Mystique on Saturday and the Aptos Flames on Sunday.
On their home field in Cupertino, the Flash – playing without the injured Alison Wan – held on for a nerve-racking 3-2 win over the Mystique. The locals jumped out to a three-goal lead, but had to fend off a pesky Peninsula bunch for the tight victory. Gilroy’s Brittany Barnes opened the scoring as she broke through the Mystique’s defense and exploited their goalie’s indecision, knocking the ball into the side net. Then teammate Kelly Logan scored a second goal with a lob shot to the far post to end the half up 2-0.
After Barnes scored to start the second half for a commanding three-goal lead, the Flash started to tire in the afternoon’s heat. A miss kick in the Flash’s defensive zone allowed the Mystique to crack the scoring column and five minutes later Flash goalie Melanie Regan was stripped off the ball for a second strike.
With 15 minutes remaining, Cayla Derry, of Gilroy, was tackled from behind in Mystique’s penalty box. Kelly Logan took the penalty shot from 12 yards out – but the goalie saved it. The Mystique, however, were denied the tying goal.
On Sunday, the Flash headed to Aptos – coming away with another one-goal victory in a tight 1-0 contest.
From the opening kickoff, Barnes and teammate Nicole Hovey, of Gilroy, played one-touch soccer all the way to the Flames’ goal – but the shot went wide. For the next 20 minutes, the Flash peppered the Flames’ goal to no avail.
The Flash were going up against an offside trap for the first time this season – resulting in seven offside whistles.
In the second half, the Flash adjusted by sending forwards on diagonal runs and plays from the half-backs to the corner flags. Logan, Trish Dunwoodie, Sarah Whitling and Duck Sato received balls and immediately sent them to opposite corner flags. Twenty minutes into the second half, from the middle of a scramble, Barnes found the net to give De Anza the win.
