The Lady Pride notched nine goals in the first half of Thursday’s home Central California Conference showdown against Buhach Colony High, as they held on to secure Pitman’s second league win of the season, 12-9.

“They handled it and that is what I asked. They did exactly what I asked, they came out strong and led the whole game and couldn’t ask for anything else, it’s what I wanted,” said head coach Erica Crain whose team bounced back from a three-goal loss to Merced on Tuesday.

“Before the game, we had a heartfelt talk with our coach and we finally realized why we are all here and so committed. We all love this sport and each other,” said Pitman senior Jordyn Kennell. “We then applied it to the game and relaxed and played well how we know how to play.”

They did more than that. Pitman went on a surge in the first half, scoring nine goals, led by Samantha Guerino’s three goals and the two goals scored by Audrey Morgan and Ashley Long.

“I was really pumped because we wanted to see what we needed to improve on and before our game we set some goals for the team and we achieved them,” said Long. “We came out and played really well in the first quarter and that is what we worked on and I am pretty proud of my team.”

With a three goal lead at the half, Pitman just needed to keep the momentum up on their side in order to secure a successful outcome.

Coach Crain and her team played shut down defense in the third quarter, not allowing a single goal to be scored. Pitman would eventually score one goal in the third after Kennell heaved a shot from about 10 yards out.

Up 10-6 heading into the fourth, Pitman notched two consecutive goals from Guerino followed by a Jessica Hamilton tap in after Kennell’s shot clanked off the cross bar for a ricochet.

Buhach scored three unanswered goals in the final 70 seconds of regulation to end the game with a three goal win by Pitman.

“I personally think we got a bit overconfident and began to relax a little bit. We were not as focused when we settled down and realized we had this game won,” said Crain. “We need to start out strong like this game but finish strong as well as keep the pace steady throughout the game.”

“Sometimes we slip up, not everyone is perfect, but we tried our hardest the whole game, but slipping up is ok, it happens,” Long added.

Pitman’s next stop will be a home match against Turlock at 3 p.m. Tuesday.