The Moorpark College Raiders faced their county rival the Ventura College Pirates in a home game that put Moorpark’s defense to the test.
Moorpark looked to bounce back on Oct. 1 after a 3-2 loss against LA Pierce College on Sept. 28. Early on, the Raiders’ defense was able to hold the Pirates back; however, in the 30th minute, the Pirates were able to slip through and score the first goal of the game. This would remain as the only goal in the first half.
After another goal by Ventura in the second half and nearly back-to-back penalty shoots for each team, Moorpark fell to Ventura 3-1.
Moorpark coach Kai Werring touched on the difficulties the Raiders faced in the district-rivalry match.
“As the week kind of progressed, we had more and more injuries and unfortunately, we only had 12 viable people that could go in,” said Werring. “So, that made it super tough. But the girls were, you know, just absolute warriors today, and I couldn’t be prouder to be their coach.”
Going into the second half, Moorpark ramped up their offensive attacks, attempting to catch up to Ventura, but another goal by Ventura pushed the Raiders even further behind.
A penalty kick from Moorpark freshman Trinity Chavez brought Moorpark back in the game at 2-1. Minutes later, Ventura received the chance to rebut with their own penalty kick; and after a successful shot, the Pirates extended their lead to 3-1.
Chavez spoke about the mindset she takes when setting up a penalty kick.
“What I like to do is, I like to just take a breather, set the ball down, look straight at the keeper and just block everything else out, take a few steps back,” said Chavez. “And- I- once I pick a spot, I don’t second guess myself. I take the shot.”
The Raiders’ defense remained strong throughout the game despite the score, considering the circumstance of having two injured defenders. Freshman defender Sophia Frias talked about her mindset when playing defensively.
“I know I’m not the fastest, so I try to play to my advantage, to what my strengths are,” said Frias. “And I know I have support in the back, so I just tried to read the ball as well as I can. When I don’t, I’m just telling myself to get back as fast as I can and support my team.”
After a win against Cuesta College on Tuesday, Oct. 5, Moorpark’s team looks to improve its 5-7-1 record at the next away game against Oxnard College on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at Oxnard.
