Coyotes lose tough match to Edison

The Madera Coyotes girls soccer team was unable to capitalize on their chances were were defeated by Edison-Fresno, 1-0.

“It was a little breakdown, something we’ve struggled with since the beginning of the season,” head coach Cameron Hill said. “We’ve had trouble with goal kicks and we lost one today and went down. They made a great play.”

The Coyotes were unable to get much going in the first half Wednesday in Memorial Stadium, and that led to futility in the second half. The team fought hard, but were unable to produce the golden goal.

“It was a pretty even match, but they may have had a chance that we gave to them,” Hill said. “We controlled the ball and were passing really well. We were on top in the first half and we had a few more chances. Nothing clear cut, but we had the ball more on their side than on ours.”

Brooke Gill, Anyssa Garcia and goalkeeper Jessica Diaz were all stand-out performers in the first half. Gill and Garcia were vital in retaining and getting possession for the Coyotes.

Diaz, on the other hand, made numerous saves throughout the game.

“In the first half, she made a great save over the bar,” Hill said of Diaz. “She played really well. It was one of her best games. She got up and touched it over the bar and fell into the goal. It was an amazing save.”

The Coyotes struggled to find their clear cut chance although they were the better side. Extra time loomed over the match after both teams fought to the very end.

In the 34th minute of the second half, Diaz delivered once more after she punched the ball away from point-blank range.

Edison won the game in the last minute of the match after the Tiger forward pounced on a Coyote miscue to the end the game.