PREDATORS 3 - BAD GIRLS 0

TEAMWORK!!! That one word is what best describes the action at Octo Field early Saturday morning as the Predators took on the Folsom Bad Girls, defeating them 3-0 as the sun was rising over the eastern foothills. This was a very special game as the Predators and Bad Girls took the opportunity to show respect for the victims of the recent tragedy on the East Coast with a moment of silence before the game. After the game, the Predators gathered in front of the goal and took a Team Picture with the American Flag. That image of all our young ladies standing together as a team with the flag made us all realize how fortunate we all are to be involved with such a great soccer program that not only feels like a team, but also a family! That's the "glue" that holds us all together in tough times like these.

The usually slow starting Predators were anything but slow to start this game. Angel fired the first shot a minute into the game that seemed to put the Bad Girls back on their heels for most of the first half. Amy came back with another quick shot that just missed, then Sara fired one just wide. Coach Juan mixed up the lineup a bit, putting Kristina at Midfield and Ally at Stopper. The strategy worked almost immediately as Kristina stole the ball and crossed it to Amy who scored the first goal of the match.

The defenders, consisting of Yolanda, Kylie, Melissa, and Kelsey were not letting anything get past midfield. In fact, Erica never even touched the ball in goal during the first half, but she did some nice "talking" to her defenders, positioning them in the right spots to cut off the Bad Girl attack. 

Ericka and Sabi were sending pass after pass up to the front as the Predators out-shot the Bad Girls 10-0 in the first half. Katrina and Andrea added to the pressure in front with some nice passing and ball control on the wings. The first half ended with the Predators up 1-0.

A cool breeze was blowing as the second half opened, and most of the Predator families were huddled on a ten foot by ten foot strip of concrete trying to keep warm. It seemed as if Mrs. Perez and Mrs. Rubeor were attempting to lead the group in some sort of "informal" aerobics in order to keep warm while Mrs. Rosemond was busy "sitting" on the sunny sections of the heated concrete for warmth??? This kind of behavior makes you wonder what will happen on the sidelines later on this fall when it really gets cold.

Despite the cool breeze, the Predators came out hot in the second half. Coach Juan continued to mix up the lineup. Angel moved to stopper and Ally and Andrea were working hard on the wings up front, with Sara and Kelsey trading off in the middle. Midway through the half, Ally beat a defender on the left side and crossed one to Kelsey, who scored goal number two for the Predators. 

Kristina was now set up at sweeper with Kylie, Melissa and Yolanda working hard on the outside dominating the Bad Girl attack. Andrea continued to show nice ball work on the right wing as Ericka and Sabi pushed the ball up front time and time again. The Bad Girls did take four good shots in the second half, but Katrina was all over them, saving all four shots. Late in the half, Melissa sent a ball up the wing to Ally, who passed it to Sara, who crossed a beautiful ball to Kelsey, who beat a defender and scored again, making it 3-0.

Every goal in this game was a result of combination passing with the ball touching 3 or 4 or even five players before the shot! AWESOME PLAY !!!!

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