Long Beach ended El Camino’s three-game win streak in women’s soccer game
Warriors forward, Mia Hogentogler kicks the ball away from an opponent, during their 3-0 loss against the Vikings on Tue. Oct. 12. The Warriors head to LA Harbor on Fri. Oct. 14, to face off against their close rival. (Will Renfroe | The Union)
The El Camino Warriors women’s soccer team fell short against their conference rival, the Long Beach City Vikings.
The Vikings controlled the game from the start with a high-paced attacking offense and aggressive defense, maintaining the energy for the entirety of the game. The Vikings finished on top 3-0, outshooting the Warriors 19-4.
Vikings forward Genesis Lopez, was responsible for nine shot attempts, with two reaching the back of the net. Lopez played for 78 minutes, setting the tone for her teammates to follow.
The Union spoke with Lopez after the game as she reflected on her individual and team performance. Lopez said that her goal for the season is to win championships.
Vikings’ head coach Eduardo Nunes spoke about his team’s victory and that the division-borne rivalry between El Camino and Long Beach has always fostered a high level of competition.
“With El Camino being such a good team, this is always such a tough game, so getting a 3-0 win, we are leaving here super happy. It’s been between us and them for the south.” Nunes said.
The score was not the worse news of the day for the Warriors. Four minutes into the first half, Warriors standout midfielder Angelica Taylor was helped off the field with an apparent leg injury, after being fouled by a defender.
Taylor’s fast feet and ability to reach the net could have posed a great challenge for the Vikings and her absence was felt by the Warriors.
Defensively, the Warriors were outshined. Warriors’ goalkeeper Karlee Clark defended eight out of 11 shots on goal, an impressive feat, considering the Vikings’ shot accuracy.
The Warriors’ Head coach Darin Dunn said that the combination of the game’s slow start and Taylor’s absence early on combined affected the Warriors’ performance for the remainder of the matchup.
“We just started very, very slow. And we allowed them to kind of dictate how we were playing at first. We eventually calmed down but it was too late…another thing is we lost one of our top attacking threats of the year, our leading goal scorer.” Dunn said.
The Warriors will have a conference matchup against LA Harbor on Friday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.
