The women’s freshman soccer team beat Del Campo 10-0 at home on April 18.

In the first half, the Wildcats dominated with possession of the ball due to their ball movement and communication. The Wildcats’ tempo was very fast which allowed them to attack against Del Campo’s defense repeatedly and resulted in nineteen shots. Of those shots, they were able to capitalize on the majority of them.

On defense, they pressured them against the wings and were able to counterattack which lead to many goals. The team finished the first half up 5-0.

In the second half, the style of game changed. The Wildcats were still attacking and played defense. They played defense and were still counterattacking which lead to many goals in the second half as well. However as the game continued, their game style became they weren’t executing plays as well during this time. Even though their passes and plays became sloppy, the intensity was there throughout the whole game.

Coach Ryan Balbi gave his input on how the team did and what they did well.

“They played well, the game was good, but it started sloppy because it was hot. Overall they played well, finished well, passing was good in the final third, and got what we wanted,” Balbi said.

Lindsey Sobeck scored one goal in the second half and created many crucial plays to help her teammates. She believes that they won because of good teamwork.

“We moved the ball around well and communicated. We created many plays and runs that caused us to score and defeat Del Campo,” Sobeck said

Captain Mikayla Barkve scored two goals in the first half which helped the momentum of the game on the Wildcats’ side. She touched on what they can do to prepare for their next big league game.

“Although we did well in this game, we need to prepare still for Ponderosa. They are our biggest competitors, the best thing we can do is focus during practice and warm-ups. Our team definitely has the skill to be Ponderosa, we just have to come out with our A-game. This is probably the most important game of the season, since they are second place and we tied them last time,” Barkve said.

The Cats’ record is 8-2-1 and their next game, which is a league game, will be taking place is April 20 at Ponderosa.

by KENICHI WATANABE