Viking defenders Charlotte Gayner (6) and Stella
Wineman (right, partially obscured) put the pressure
on a Patrick Henry defender in the first quarter
Friday in Edwards Stadium.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Following a first half in which neither team was able to score, Coach Amanda Combs Warford's Vikings pushed through a goal in the second half to defeat visiting Patrick Henry, 1-0, in the two schools' first match of the season Fri., March 5.
At halftime, Combs Warfords talked to her team about relaxing and continuing to play a relentless style that would eventually yield a goal.
Her husband and assistant coach, Tucker Warford, told the assembled girls during the mid-game break, "The difference between the two teams is they're just trying to score a goal, whereas you have all this information in your brains and you're trying to process it. Just play the way you know how," and things will be fine.
Both coaches were prescient in predicting a breakthrough second half, as La Jolla successfully grinded through the 15-minute third and 15-minute fourth period to win their initial Western League contest in 2021, their first competition in over 14 months.
Both teams played with a mask rule, in which Combs Warford explained to her players that they had to wear face covering for COVID throughout the game. However, she told them, "If you have a run and you need to get some extra air (to recover), just pull the mask up a little, take some breaths, and put it right back in place."
No comments:
Post a Comment