By Henry Severson
Huntington Beach, CA -- On a windswept afternoon in Huntington Beach, the Vikings of Long Beach (2-1-1) battled the Rustlers from Golden West (1-2-1). Looking to rebound after a tough defeat, a scoreless tie left the Vikings frustrated.
It's difficult to remain positive after such an outcome, especially when the Vikings controlled the ball the majority of the game. A dissatisfied Coach Nunes offered the following insight, stating, "We just didn't do enough to take over, didn't do enough to finish it." Asked if he had any positive takeaways post-game, Nunes found it challenging to do so, "There will be after the dust settles, but in a game like this, we're supposed to win. Period."
Long Beach had control early and often. Sophomore, Surprise, AZ native Rose Veloz, was a problem for Golden West, per usual, constantly providing pressure on the Rustler defense. Sophomore Jennifer Skrumbis out of Long Beach Poly and freshman Alyssa Lucero from Mayfair High each added a shot on goal.
Pitching a shutout is no easy feat, regardless of the opponent, so the defense of Long Beach and the goalkeeper, Jocelynn Sotelo, deserve all the praise, as well. Sotelo accumulated at least four saves for the Vikings, including an impressive dive to block a potential Golden West tiebreaker.
Long Beach seeks to get on the right track at Chaffey Friday, September 17th at 2:00 PM.
