Pitman High soccer senior captain Rayana Plancarte scored four goals at home on Thursday as the Pride went on to trump Atwater, 7-1.
Despite the score, the game was a battle until the second half.
“It wasn't bad, it was really a close game in the first half, it was back and forth and we couldn't get a rhythm going, not making good passes and not communicating well until the second half,” said Pitman head coach Cris Castro.
Pitman went on to score five goals in the second half alone and completely shut down Atwater's attempt to create any offense.
Even with five injured players out, the Pride went up early in the fifth minute after Tanner Brackett blasted a shot from the top of the 18-yard line and hit the upper left hand corner to go up one-nil.
About 10 minutes later, Atwater scored their only goal of the game.
“They scored on a mistake on defense, we left a player wide open and the player made a great shot,” said Castro.
Pitman took the lead again with under three minutes left in the first half after Plancarte hit the lower left corner from about 12 yards out for her first of four goals.
“That goal gave us a boost, it helped us get away from them in the second half,” said Castro. “They were playing well and moved the ball to the feet and made accurate passes and the girls responded. But I also feel that if we went into the half tie at 1-1, it would probably be a different game.”
Freshman standout Isabella Shallou-Enes scored her only goal of the game at about the 50-minute mark to break the game wide open.
“The girls responded so well after we spoke at halftime,” said Castro. “We made better passes and better runs and as a result we were able to open up the field and it led to those five goals. They came on quick passes and they were working well with each other. The girls seemed to get hungrier.”
Pitman scored three goals in a 15-minute span as Plancarte added a hat-trick in the second half alone and the Pride rolled into their first league win of the year.
“Atwater is not a bad team at all,” said Castro. “I just think the one thing that hurt them, since it happens to teams, is when you get a score right before halftime which is killer, really is,” Castro added. “Because you feel out of the game psychologically, it’s a big downer.”
The Pride are now 6-5-2 overall and 1-0-1 in league.
The next game for Pitman will be at home against Buhach Colony at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“We can't overlook Buhach, because you never know in the CCC and in this league, every team wants to win and I tell our girls that,” said Castro. “Our goal is to continue to play well defensively and offensively. I will take the win because the goal is to improve upon every game and improve as the season goes along.”
