RACE FOR THE BALL Jaguar Giuliana Varalta and Eagle Samia Dajbura battle.Ruth Nyquist, Christian Learning
Gritty Little Eagles tie Jaguars 2-2
The Christian Learning found itself in first place at the end of the first half of the season after tying Cooperative 2-2 on Co-operative's home field Tuesday.
The Junior Eagles won the post-game shootout 3-1 to gain an extra point in the standings and put them narrowly ahead of the Jaguars and Griffins. (Cambridge has no junior varsity girls soccer team.)
The game also was the first contest of any kind that Cooperative has not won outright this season, though the school can still claim to be undefeated overall.
And probably the Jaguars led this game in every conceivable statistic -- shots on goal, time of possession, etc., etc. -- with the notable exception of the final score. Nonetheless, the Eagles actually took the lead in this game 1-0 when only a few minutes into the game Eagle Emily Ordoñez was fouled in the penalty area, and connected on the resulting penalty shot to make the score 1-0. Some Eagle fans were wondering if this might have been the first time in the last several years that the junior Eagles have been ahead of the Jaguars, but others thought there had been a previous occasion.
The Jaguars fought back and perpetrated a rapid series of near misses before Michelle Lederman, who would score both Jaguar goals, launched a short-range shot that oscillated rapidly at short range between Lederman and goalie Rebekah Kienzle, ultimately bouncing into the net.
The game continued into the second half with the Jaguars firing shot after shot at the doughty Eagle defenders without effect, until finally Lederman got another chance. She broke out of a bunched up group in front of the Christian Learning goal and knocked the ball in to put Cooperative ahead 2-1.
The game had one more twist to take, however. In the closing stages of the second half Eagle goalie Kienzle put up a booming kick with a gust of wind behind it that carried well into the Jaguar end. Samia Dajbura dashed ahead of the Jaguar defenders and neatly tapped the ball past Cooperative goalie Fabiana Andrade to tie the game 2-2, and that is how it finished.
The Christian Learning found itself in first place at the end of the first half of the season after tying Cooperative 2-2 on Co-operative's home field Tuesday.
The Junior Eagles won the post-game shootout 3-1 to gain an extra point in the standings and put them narrowly ahead of the Jaguars and Griffins. (Cambridge has no junior varsity girls soccer team.)
The game also was the first contest of any kind that Cooperative has not won outright this season, though the school can still claim to be undefeated overall.
And probably the Jaguars led this game in every conceivable statistic -- shots on goal, time of possession, etc., etc. -- with the notable exception of the final score. Nonetheless, the Eagles actually took the lead in this game 1-0 when only a few minutes into the game Eagle Emily Ordoñez was fouled in the penalty area, and connected on the resulting penalty shot to make the score 1-0. Some Eagle fans were wondering if this might have been the first time in the last several years that the junior Eagles have been ahead of the Jaguars, but others thought there had been a previous occasion.
The Jaguars fought back and perpetrated a rapid series of near misses before Michelle Lederman, who would score both Jaguar goals, launched a short-range shot that oscillated rapidly at short range between Lederman and goalie Rebekah Kienzle, ultimately bouncing into the net.
The game continued into the second half with the Jaguars firing shot after shot at the doughty Eagle defenders without effect, until finally Lederman got another chance. She broke out of a bunched up group in front of the Christian Learning goal and knocked the ball in to put Cooperative ahead 2-1.
The game had one more twist to take, however. In the closing stages of the second half Eagle goalie Kienzle put up a booming kick with a gust of wind behind it that carried well into the Jaguar end. Samia Dajbura dashed ahead of the Jaguar defenders and neatly tapped the ball past Cooperative goalie Fabiana Andrade to tie the game 2-2, and that is how it finished.
