Exiting with a win

Fallon’s girls’ soccer team claimed a 6-1 win against the Sparks Railroaders in their senior night game, moving their overall standing to 2-7-5.

The game was intense as both teams came out strong. The ball flew across the field in the first half with possession changing hands constantly. Early in the match Maddie Guerrero got her first shot at the net, but was denied by the Sparks goalkeeper. At 18:30, the Sparks goalkeeper just barely caught a shot by Kenna Hamlin.

Late in the half, Guerrero got the ball and sent it into the Railroader’s net, putting the Greenwave on the board. Both teams pushed hard, but Fallon came around again with 2 minutes to spare and a chest bump put in another goal. The half closed with Fallon leading 2-0.

After halftime, Fallon came out strong and almost immediately scored another goal by Hamlin. The Sparks team fought back and almost got a goal, but was denied by Fallon goalkeeper Adelle Brown.

The Lady Wave continued to dominate the field, keeping the visiting team from getting a shot at their net. At about halfway through the half, Guerrero brought in another goal followed shortly by another from Alexis Jarrett. With less than 15 minutes on the clock, Sparks broke through with an Angelica Hurtado goal.

The final goal of the match came when Guerrero sent the ball past the Sparks goalkeeper for a final score of 6-1 Fallon.

Sparks coach Arturo Hurtado said it was a good game, but did not go the way they wanted it to. They played well, and had a good start, but the game did not pan out in their favor. He noted they had trouble getting the ball in the net.

“As the game progressed, the girls just weren’t responding to what we wanted,” he said. “We needed to put the ball in the net a little sooner, it would have been a different game.”

Senior Savannah Sweeney, one of Fallon’s team captains, felt the strong win was a good way to end their senior night game. She said it was one of the best teams she has ever had and hopes she was a good influence on the younger players.

Fallon coach Lance Lattin was very happy with his team’s progress. He noted this was their highest scoring game of the season so far.

“The possession was better,” he said. “We’re getting more composure offensively and looking for passes more than we have.”

The coach praised Guerrero and Hamlin for their games, noting their speed and passing abilities. The team was also able to field their backup goalkeeper, Samantha Hines, to give her experience on the field. Lattin said he was pleased with the girls’ attitude and how they prepared for the week.

Sweeney noted they kept calm and tried not to fall into their past mistakes of getting carried away with kicking the ball around.

“Whenever we do that it always goes to the other team,” she said.

Lattin said the seniors impressed him with their growth and skill. They grew into good leaders and role models.

“It’s good for them end with a nice home win,” he said.