Coyotes fall to Edison in overtime
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Edison goalkeeper Moonlite Jobrack gets to the ball just before Madera’s Natalia Mata could get a head on it during a 1-0 overtime loss Friday.
After suffering a big-time beating to the Buchanan-Clovis Bears a few days earlier, the Madera Coyotes girls soccer team tried to rebound in its County/Metro Athletic Conference opener against the Edison-Fresno Tigers in Memorial Stadium.
Both teams were held scoreless through the first 97 minutes of the match before an Edison attacker got ahead of a Coyote defender. Madera took out the attacker from behind in the goalkeeper’s box and was called for a penalty shot.
Edison sent the ball past goalkeeper Breanna Salazar for the only score in Friday’s CMAC opener three days after an 8-0 loss to the Bears.
“We switched some things up and the girls came ready to play,” head coach Cameron Hill said. “Edison is a very good team. They are now 12-3 and are probably the No. 1 team in Div. II. It was a good battle and one thing didn’t go our way. It was a clear penalty. It’s just how the game goes.”
Madera goalkeeper Salazar recorded six saves and kept the Coyotes in the match. However, the Coyotes couldn’t maintain much offense and were relegated to long shots, which were easily caught by Moonlite Jobrack, the Edison goalkeeper.
“We tried to switch things up to get those chances,” Hill said. “It’s frustrating, but we don’t have that player that can take over and score a goal. We’re searching for that as a team. Hopefully, we can combine as a team and score goals.”
In the 10th minute of the first half, Madera’sMariah Zapata pressured the goalkeeper. Her shot on goal was stopped, but came loose. Jobrack covered the ball before Zapata could regain possession.
Salazar kept the Tigers out of the net with three saves over the next two minutes, including one on a point blank shot in front of her.
In the eighth minute of the second half, Jasmin Piñon got the ball on left. She got by her defender and shot to the near post, but it was blocked out. Four minutes later, Brooke Gill sent a ball in front for Natalia Mata, but Jobrack caught the ball before Mata’s header.
Salazar then stopped a hard shot on goal and covered it up in the 28th minute.
Over the next 10 minutes, the Coyotes’ offense was relegated to three Mia Alvarez long free kicks. She sent one shot wide and two were caught by Jobrack before Madera had a chance at a deflection.
With a minute left in the match, Edison sent a long free kick on goal. The ball bounced in front of Salazar, but Salazar recovered to tip the bounce over the net. The ensuing corner kick went across the goal without a chance.
In overtime, Noemi Cabello settled the ball and sent a 25-yard shot on goal, but it was tipped over. On the ensuing corner kick, Alvarez sent a ball across, but Zapata’s return shot was blocked over.
Alvarez had another long free kick on goal go wide in the fifth minute of the second half of the overtime.
In the seventh minute, Edison broke free and was taken out inside the box, resulting in the eventual game-winning penalty kick for the 1-0 victory.
Bears race pass Coyotes CLOVIS — The Madera Coyotes girls soccer team was upended by Div. 1 opponents, the Buchanan-Clovis Bears, 8-0.
The Bears scord three goals in the first half and five more in the second half at Buchanan’s Memorial Stadium on Jan. 2.
Although the Coyotes recent run saw them allowing just over a goal in each contest, the Bears’ onslaught on goal forced Madera to play catch up all game long.
Buchanan’s Haley Barsotti and Taylor Phillips combined for four goals in a clinical performance by the home team.
Along with superior finishing by Phillips and Barsotti, the Bears midfielders were pulling strings all afternoon. Kyndel Borman chipped in a pair of assists forcing the Coyotes’ midfield to defend first, not allowing them to get themselves fully into the attack.
Borman wasn’t the only midfielder who excelled for the Bears. Jaden Belcher also had two assists in the rout. Buchanan totaled seven assists on eight goals.
After conceding their third goal of the first half, the Coyotes responded with a fiery run down the pitch. Brooke Gill collected the ball in the opponent’s half and darted down the middle of the pitch determined to make a dent in the Bears 3-0 lead.
Gill took on three defenders, shoving them off one-by-one until she was taken down in a crunching tackle. The Coyotes had an opportunity for a free kick just outside the penalty area, but the shot flew over the goal.
Madera had another scoring opportunity only a few minutes later.
After a perfectly-timed tackle by captain Mia Alvarez, Gill collected the ball and provided an pass to Jasmin Piñon, who opened for a shot on goal. Gill’s pass led Piñon inside the penalty area where she sent the ball over the crossbar.
With multiple Bear defenders closing her down, she had no choice to hit the ball quickly.
Piñon had her opportunities in the opponent’s final third but could to find the answer.
Madera went into halftime down by three goals and, unfortunately for the Coyotes, things seemed to snowball.
Buchanan erupted for five goals in the second half. Their front line was able to get in behind of the Madera defense, giving them open space to fire away.
Although the Coyotes showed fight on the day, the Div. 1 Bears were too much to handle for the visitors.