For College of the Canyons women’s soccer, the first game of the season meant freedom.
Freshman midfielder Alondra Solis said after the match that it was a major relief to get on the pitch after a summer of training, especially when the end result was a 4-0 shutout win Monday over Ventura College at COC.
Solis had two goals – one in each half. The first was in the 42nd minute of the opening half. She took advantage of a free kick and shot the ball to the top right corner to begin the scoring for the Cougars (1-0).
“I feel like I could’ve done better,” Solis said. “But it was overall good. I felt proud of myself.”
Justine Hoeft, a Golden Valley grad, scored in the 64th minute, then fellow Grizzlies product Kiara Gunn shot to the right of Ventura’s keeper on a breakaway to bring the score to 3-0. Jennifer Roney was credited with the assist.
Breakaways were the theme for the final 20 minutes of play. Physical battles ensued in the midfield until a player with the right speed nabbed the ball and sprinted into the attacking zone.
Ventura’s breakaways made Solis a little uncomfortable, but she also had faith in her midfield and defenders to get the job done.
“It’s very scary in the back once (the ball) passes the midfield and they’re going,” she said. “We have to stop them. We will stop them.”
Solis capped the scoring with a shot from just outside the box.
“It was really exciting to see our whole team come together,” Solis said. “We have a lot to work on, but it was fun.”