Lady Yoe soccer defeats Smithville, Rockdale
After shutting out the Smithville Lady Tigers at home on Friday 2-0, the Lady Yoe went on the road to take on the Rockdale Lady Tigers on Saturday.
Cameron shut out Rockdale 3-0. Cameron came out of the gate fast with a goal by Brandi Drake (1) in the second minute of the game. The Lady Yoe tried to add on with another goal by Celeste Cardona (7) in the seventh minute but came up short. That would be followed by a failed corner kick attempt in the tenth minute and the eleventh minute. Brandi Drake marched back and scored her second goal of the game in the twelfth minute for a 2-0 lead. Brandi Drake continued to stay aggressive, but missed a chance for another goal in the15th minute. A minute later, Brandi Drake completed the hat trick and scored her third goal of the game to give the Lady Yoe a 3-0 lead.
“Brandi played great today,” Coach Laura Dickson said. “She was able to place the ball away from the keeper on her shots. Our midfield did a great job of sending balls up to her and through the defensive line to allow her to use her speed to get past and score.”
Cameron attempted another goal shot by Seally Smith (17) in the 21st minute but was unsuccessful. Rockdale would get some rhythm and put pressure on Cameron. They attempted a shot on goal but it would be saved in the 22nd minute by Savannah Nejtek (35), which was soon followed by another save in the 25th minute.
The Lady Yoe pushed the ball back to the opposite side of the field and had a corner kick opportunity in the 32nd minute and came up empty. The pressure by Cameron continued with another shot on goal by Cardona in the 34th minute that missed the net. That was followed by a missed shot on goal by Brandi Drake in the 37th minute. The Lady Yoe went into halftime up 3-0.
Cameron picked up where they left off in the first half with a failed corner kick attempt in 43rd minute. The Lady Yoe had another shot on goal by Brianna Acosta (5) in the 47th minute, and later another by Brittani Drake (3) in the 51st minute. Mariana Penaloza (2) tried to add to the score in the 53rd minute but barely missed the net. The Lady Yoe then attempted a corner kick in 53rd minute that was missed, followed by another missed corner kick in the 57th minute. Penaloza tried again in the 57th minute but sailed above the net. This was followed by another missed shot on goal by Brandi Drake in the 59th minute, and another by Penaloza in the 60th minute.
“That pressure starts with our defensive line,” Dickson said. “They do a great job of getting possession of the ball and feeding it to the midfield and forwards so that we can apply that pressure.”
The Lady Yoe missed a chance at a corner kick in the 67th minute. Cameron kept the attack going with two missed shot attempts from Alexis Mendoza (4) and Cardona in the 68th minute. The Lady Yoe gave it one last try with Reagan Polson (9) in the 75th minute but the ball just bounced off the top bar of the net. The Lady Yoe went on to win 3-0 over Rockdale. Their next opponent was a road match with the La Grange Lady Leopards on Tuesday.
“The key to winning on Tuesday will be to play as a team,” Dickson said. “The winner of this match will determine second place. The girls know this is a big game for us and I have confidence that they will step up to the challenge. We had more shots on goal than they did when played them the first round. The difference from last game will be to make sure the ball finds the back of the net.”
Unfortunately, the Lady Yoe suffered a crushing 3-1 defeat to La Grange.