Grand Terrace, CA—In what proved to be a tense game, Colton girls soccer traveled into Grand Terrace and took home not just a 2-1 win over Grand Terrace, but also first place in the Sunkist League.
The two teams rematched after playing on Dec.16, when Colton won 1-0. However, with a 2-1 loss to Rialto on Jan. 8, the Yellowjackets found themselves behind Grand Terrace and Carter for the league lead. With the win over Grand Terrace, Colton claimed first place, and can hold that position with a win over Carter on Thursday night.
This game came with several challenges, as Colton was missing both of their goalkeepers, and captain Bianca Soto was playing with an injury.
That didn’t stop the match from becoming a high intensity effort from both teams. Colton took an early lead as Soto’s assist led to a clever back-heel kick goal by Adalyn Cortez.
Despite the lead, Colton struggled to play calm and collected. Grand Terrace kept the ball contained for most of the half, and scored on a corner kick to tie the game.
In the second half, the game’s vibe became more intense. Both crowds were loud and excited. Once again, Grand Terrace dominated the ball, but Colton took advantage of their opportunities with Cortez nearly scoring on a couple attempts. The game turned in the Yellowjacket’s favor when Soto took on the angle from a corner kick and scored what would be the winning goal.
The final 25 minutes of the game found Colton’s defense stepping up and keeping the Titans out of the net. Playing in her first game of the season as the team’s goalkeeper, senior Haley Barrera stepped up and saved several shots on goal.
Now, Colton hopes to stay up on the board with two more league games to play. The girls prepare to face Carter High tomorrow Jan.15 at Memorial Stadium, 5:45 pm.
