Coyotes split against Clovis clubs
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Adela Alvarez (10) looks for an open teammate in Tuesday’s win over Clovis West. Alvarez scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of the match.
The Madera Coyotes girls soccer team opened up the 2021 season with a slate of tough matches. A combination of preparation for the new season and just sheer availability as many counties are still under guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the schedule.
After five games, the Coyotes find themselves 1-2-2 after beating the Clovis West Golden Eagles, 1-0, on Tuesday in dramatic fashion when Adela Alvarez slotted home the game winning goal in the 79th minute. The Coyotes dropped their next contest against the Clovis North Broncos 7-0 at home Wednesday.
With matches against Buchanan-Fresno and Kerman on the horizon, the Madera Coyotes are closer to opening the official County/Metro Athletic Conference season when they host rivals Madera South on April 13 at home.
“We really got going and I think towards the end they were tired, we were tired and it became very open,” Madera Coyotes head coach Cameron Hill said on his team’s victory against Clovis West. “I thought we were strong defensively, and at the end, took advantage of our chance.
“But overall it is good to get a win under our belt. It is really important to the girls just to get this one, especially since it is our first one of the season.”
The Coyotes displayed a fearless and aggressive performance in both matches against Clovis North and Clovis West. Despite the score for either game, Madera has a lot to be excited about during the upcoming season.
Against the Golden Eagles and then following a day later against the Broncos, Coyote midfielder Madison Barba and defender Evagelina Garcia proved to be leaders at the back. The pair dominated against the Golden Eagles and proved their worth against a stout Broncos team.
From stepping into the fray fearlessly, or sitting back and countering forward runs, with the Coyotes defense in place, the CMAC should practice their long-range shots because there is a stout backline in front of goalkeeper Arianna Ornelas.
“I don’t see us with a problem there in terms of defensively, as long as we have Madison there to clean things up. We’ll be in good shape because she has a lot of energy,” Hill said.
Against the Golden Eagles, the Coyote defense held them in check for a majority of the match.
“Our backline held steady and they didn’t really have any good chances,” Hill said. “They had a few shots but nothing that was threatening. Just going forward we are having issues, but defensively we’re fine.”
For Hill, improving the attacking and getting higher up the pitch was a struggle two games ago against the Clovis Cougars, but over the next two games Madera showed modest improvement, despite the score.
In addition, playing against Division I teams only gives the Coyotes an advantage in terms preparing for the battles to come.
