Tigers upend Hawks in second half

The Liberty Hawks girls’ soccer team conceded two second-half goals in a non-conference loss to the Edison-Fresno Tigers at home.

“I think our first half performance was pretty,” Liberty head coach Eric Walker said. “I think we pressured a little bit and worked the ball a little bit. We weren’t exactly sure who to mark at first, but once we figured that out we were good. We had a better first half than second half.”

Sara Garibay and Brooke Wristen led the charge for Liberty in the 2-1 loss Jan. 3.

Garibay had the clinical finishing goal early in the match and Wristen competed with pace and creative ability.

Although the Hawks entered halftime with a slim advantage behind a goal from Garibay, the team’s sluggish start to the second half allowed the Tigers to seize the momentum and they never let it go.

Edison caught the Hawks napping just out of the break and tied the score. The Tigers worked the ball down the pitch before they accurately put the ball past Hawks goalkeeper Carly Tynan. Tynan finished the match with 10 saves.

Edison continued to pile on the pressure after two consecutive chances but the Tigers’ inability to finish off their chances allowed the Hawks to stay in the game.

The Hawks had their best chance of the second half with 15 minutes remaining. Wristen collected the ball after her teammate switched the field of play.

Wristen took on the Edison defender with a series of hesitation dribbles before she broke free and delivered a whipped ball across the face of goal.

The Hawks couldn’t latch onto the pass and Edison smothered the chance quickly.

The Tigers of Edison didn’t make too much noise in the final half but showed up when they needed to.

With less than 10 minutes in the game, the Tigers countered and left the Hawks scrambling to recover. Edison took the ball down the right wing before they smashed the ball past Tynan and into the far corner.

The Tigers late goal proved to be the clincher.