Big kick leads Coyotes
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Members of the Madera Coyote girls soccer team congratulate Anyssa Garcia (18) after she knocked in a penalty kick to score the only goal of Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Madera South.
All it took was one shot for the Madera Coyotes girls soccer team to pick up a 1-0 victory over crosstown rivals Madera South in a County/Metro Athletic Conference match Thursday in Memorial Stadium.
Coyote freshman Penelopi Leach drew a foul inside the goalkeeper’s box and Anyssa Garcia knocked the penalty kick into the goal for the only mark of the game.
Of Madera’s five wins this season, two have come from traditional girls soccer powers. Madera previously defeated Buchanan-Clovis, who won the Div. I Valley Championship in 2015 and the Stallions, the two-time defending Div. II Valley Champions.
“It’s always good to get those big wins,” Madera head coach Cameron Hill said. “It shows the girls that they are good. They have to believe and buy in that they can beat the best team. Day in and day out, are they going to work. The hope is they see that if they put in the effort, they can beat these teams.”
For Madera South head coach Ramon Delgadillo, he can think of “what if.” He sat two players for disciplinary reasons and another player because of injury and all three were starters.
“I implemented some discipline on two of my players and they could not play,” Delgadillo said. “The three players would have made the difference. I think it would have changed the match. They would have made a huge difference and not have to adjust. I had to move a striker to center midfielder.” However, Delgadillo takes nothing from the game and knows it could have gone either way. “It was a great match,” he said. “I am proud of my girls and it could have went either way.”
After the Coyotes took the lead, Hill’s defense went to work the same way it protected the lead against Buchanan — not letting the offense get shots off.
“I was here for the Bullard game and I saw if you give them space, they are going to shoot it,” Hill said. “We talked about not giving them any space. We just wanted to make sure to close down the shooters and not give them space.”
Madera had the first chance to score in the 23rd minute. Mia Alvarez got a free kick opportunity from about 45 yards out and sent a shot towards the goal. The ball was knocked out of bounds and the ensuing corner kick went out of bounds.
In the 34th minute, Madera was given an indirect kick from 28 yards out. Brooke Gill sent Alvarez the pass for the shot, but it went wide right.
With a minute left in the first half, the Stallions had their first chance on goal. Of a free kick from about 40 yards out, Itzel Rodriguez shot on goal. Madera goalkeeper Jessica Diaz caught the ball, but dropped it. The play was stopped by a referee’s whistle.
Early in the second half, the Coyotes got the chance they have needed. Leach took the ball into the box, but was tackled from behind and the Coyotes got a penalty kick. The same play happened Tuesday evening in a 2-1 loss to Sanger, but the Coyotes weren’t given the penalty kick.
This time, Garcia wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass. Garcia ripped a shot into the bottom left corner by a diving Madera South goalkeeper Jatzelle Salazar for the goal.
Madera South had a chance at an equalizer in the 12th minute when Gigi Gutierrez took the ball on the outside and sent a shot on goal from 20 yards out. The ball skimmed over the crossbar and went out of bounds. Madera South had another free kick from about 30 yards out, but Nayeli Garcia’s free kick went wide.
In the 19th minute, Madera South had another opportunity at the equalizer. Brielle Bitter sent a cross from the right to the left side. The ball went across the face of the goal and Yulianna Lomeli just missed heading the ball into the back of the net.
The Stallions kept shooting at Diaz, but she kept Madera South off the scoreboard. A Gutierrez free kick bounced to Diaz in the 25th minute.
Lomeli just missed another opportunity in the 28th minute on a cross from Gutierrez. Lomeli was guarded tight by two defenders and couldn’t get her foot on the cross for the goal.
Madera had a chance at an insurance goal in the 33rd minute on a free kick from Alvarez, but the kick went wide right.
Madera South had a final chance in the 40th minute with a free kick from 25 yards out. However, Gutierrez’s kick went over the goal and out of bounds.
