HUNTINGTON BEACH-The Los Alamitos girls soccer team controlled possession for much of Tuesday’s match against Marina and nearly held the Vikings without a shot on goal.
But the Vikings withstood the Griffins’ attack and remained unbeaten in league, as the two teams played to a 0-0 tie at Marina High.
Los Alamitos (4-4-7, 0-1-1) turned its’ possession advantage into a 19-1 shot advantage in the match, but Griffins head coach Steve Soler acknowledged that his offense didn’t make that advantage count on the scoreboard.
“It is plain and simple that we need to put the ball in the back of the net,” Soler said. “The possession is great, but we have to capitalize on our chances.”
Los Alamitos spent most of the first half with possession in the attacking third and making deep runs toward the goal.
The Griffins managed 12 shots on frame, but Vikings goalie Kaitlen Esparza produced seven of her 12 saves in the half to thwart the attacking pressure.
Esparza continued her strong effort in the second half, saving shots by Rachel Pokipala, Phoebe Conrad, and Ashley Sholmire in the 58th, 59th, and 60th minutes.
Marina (7-3-5, 1-0-1) had its’ first and only shot of the match on goal in the 68th minute.
Spearheaded by key clearances from Maureen Kennedy and Meghan Randig, the Griffins’ defense prevented the Vikings from getting passes through the backline to set up quality scoring chances late in the match.
“In the first half, we played a little too defensively,” Vikings coach Rafael Llorente said. “We adjusted in the second half and our defense was stingy enough to hold them off the scoreboard.”
“We will learn from some of the positives and correct some of the negatives.”
