By Rebecca Do
On Thursday, Jan. 19, girls’ soccer lost against Edison High School with a score of 1-2.
Beginning promptly at 3 p.m., the game was action-packed from start to end, without sparing a single second. The Barons started on the offense, but the Chargers followed suit after two corner kicks.
Both the Chargers and Barons utilized multiple crosses as they battled for the dominant position in the game.
Energy spiked when a Charger scored an early goal six minutes into the first half of the game. The Barons stayed strong and stabilized themselves in defense as the game progressed.
The Chargers attempted to score seven minutes after their first successful play, but were blocked via header by senior Veronica Campbell. The Barons mimicked, attempting to score, but to no avail as their play was blocked by the Charger’s goalkeeper.
22 minutes into the first half, the Chargers scored their second goal of the game in a scrimmaging frenzy, and the score was brought to 0-2.
The Barons worked hard despite kick-offs in unfavorable positions. They kept their heads up as junior captain Kayla Knoob consistently encouraged the team to keep pushing.
The next 15 minutes were full of back-and-forth brawls for control of the ball, and with five minutes left on the clock, the Chargers unsuccessfully attempted to score once again.
The last scrimmage of the first half concluded with another Charger attempt to score, but it was inevitably blocked by senior captain and goalkeeper Nylah Mirshafiei.
“This game demonstrated our ability to control possession and fight for tackles throughout the match. Although it was a scrappy game, we were able to secure a goal to add to our record,” Mirshafiei said.
The first half ended with a score of 0-2.
The second half got the ball rolling at 3:51 p.m., with the Barons trying to get onto the offense. The back-and-forth scrimmages continued as both the Chargers and Barons struggled to gain control.
A close call came on the Barons’ behalf 10 minutes into the second half as the Chargers inched past the goal, missing by just a few feet.
Another disadvantageous kickoff began near the Barons’ goal, but they regathered their composure quickly as they cross-kicked their way to the other side of the field.
As temperatures dropped, so did their respective positions as offense and defense. There were no definitive stances as to which team was what, but both were on guard.
The final quarter had the Lady Barons fired up and the audience antsy as ever. The ball narrowly escaped the confines of the goal multiple times as both teams battled for that final goal.
With only seven minutes left on the clock, junior Tala Dawood swapped in as an attacking center midfielder.
Finally, inching the end of the second half, Knoob scored the team’s only goal of the game.
The game ended with a final score of 1-2.
The girls’ varsity team held their next home game against Los Alamitos on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.
