San Diego SeaLions Edge Strikers FC On the Road
The San Diego SeaLions opened the 2017 WPSL season with a hard-fought win over PacSouth rival, Strikers FC — South Coast. San Diego returns to action on June 9th when the club heads to Arizona for a pair of matches.
WPSL Soccer News: Angelina Hix provided late heroics for the San Diego SeaLions during opening weekend of the 2017 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) season. The SeaLions recorded a gritty 1-0 victory on the road in a PacSouth matchup versus Strikers FC – South Coast.
“This was a tough match for 93 minutes, and lesser teams would’ve settled for a draw,” said SeaLions head coach Jen Lalor. “But this win serves notice: we don’t settle. Our players never quit.”
Late into the match, South Coast FC was looking to close the night a draw after surviving numerous San Diego attempts on goal. SCFC managed only two shots on goal the entire game.
“We felt like we should have been up 5-0 by halftime,” said San Diego captain and midfielder Rosie Tantillo-Colon. “We had great rhythm going forward, and our eagerness to get some goals had us playing a more direct attack than we normally play.”
SCFC’s had a clear look in the 78th minute when forward Natalia Ledezma broke free on goal; however, SeaLions goalkeeper Kaycee Gunion was able to make the save.
In the final seconds of play, Tantillo Colon’s one-touch pass set up Hix as she broke free down the left flank. A left-footed shot by Hix from near the end line tucked just inside the right post to give the SeaLions the lead.
“That was the most difficult shot we took all afternoon,” added Lalor. “A lot of players and teams would have missed that chance, especially in light of all the earlier chances that hadn’t succeeded. But our ladies refused to bend to the pressure, and refused to give up.”
women’s
“The game highlighted some of our strengths of character, and it also showed us what we should work on,” said assistant coach Lu Snyder. “We also saw good things from our newcomers Monica Dolinsky (Kansas) whose link-up play in midfield kept us on the attack, and Sam Staab (Clemson), whose solid defending helped give us the confidence to repeatedly go forward. Thus the game was a success from every angle. And we will get even better!”
The SeaLions travel to Arizona the weekend of June 9-10 to face Phoenix Del Sol and Tucson FC. San Diego will then return for home opener weekend scheduled for June 17-18 versus the same Arizona clubs.
Photo Credit: San Diego SeaLions
