CHEYENNE, WY – After a slow start, #14 Laramie County Community College found their groove in a 5-3 win at home over Cochise College on Tuesday afternoon at the LCCC Soccer Fields.
"I think for the girls to handle their emotions like they did, giving up two goals, fighting back, going up 3-2, and then going up again 5-3, I know it had my heart racing but I'm proud of them for maintaining their composure in those moments," Head Coach Lugo Arenas said.
The match started out with a pair of early goals from Sabrina Azemcua, striking in the third minute on a one-on-one before doing the same in the seventh minute to give the Apaches the early advantage.
Arenas made a key switch in the defense by bringing in Celeste Jimenez-Montero to help shore up the defense and the midfield for the Golden Eagles provided more support as the half went on to quiet the runs from the Cochise attack and give time for the LCCC offense to get their footing.
When they did, LCCC struck with a vengeance.
Aubrey Yantis opened the Golden Eagles scoring with a breakaway goal in the 15th minute after a misplay by the Cochise defense left her one-on-one with the keeper, and that was followed up by an assist from Yantis to Danielle O'Leary who found the back of the net on a cross to even the game in the 19th minute.
"(The Cochise player) just put a bad touch on it and the goalie was way out," Yantis said of her opening strike. "I looked up and I saw her, and I just put a little chip in over her head. I think the entire team needed that, needed something to boost us up."
O'Leary said the connection from Yantis to her four minutes later couldn't have been any better.
"Coach said it himself that it was pretty much perfect. We've been working on us three forwards switching, so Giselle (Heck) had it in the middle and then Aubrey went line and honestly it was just me making sure I followed in on that cross. It was probably going to go in anyways so I just wanted to make sure that I was there to put it away."
The offenses quieted for both teams for the next ten minutes until LCCC found a surprise strike from Ekena Little on a free kick from 25 yards out. The freshman from Cheyenne Central found the upper left corner of the net to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game and momentum going into the half up 3-2.
In the second, Cochise came out much more aggressive in the opening five minutes, but LCCC was able to weather the storm and both teams settled into a more back and forth tempo.
That was broken by a push forward in the 68th when Azemcua struck for a third time with another one-on-one breakaway to even the game at three all.
There was no panic by LCCC and in fact, the response took almost no time at all. A through ball from Hailey Pierson found O'Leary on a great run and the sophomore finished the goal past a charging keeper to put LCCC up for good.
A fifth goal for the Golden Eagles came just six minutes later when Rachelle Pinto scored her first goal of the season on a dribble through the defense in the 76th to ice the game.
"It's something that we needed," O'Leary said. "We have struggled throughout preseason so, especially now that we have broken through with the goals, I think that they are going to come much easier now."
LCCC did see an unfortunate turn late in the match when Jimenez-Montero was given her second yellow card of the match in the 88th minute, which will keep the Costa Rican freshman out of the next game for the Golden Eagles. That was one of six cards given out during the game, with Hailey Grillas picking up one for LCCC and three being given to Cochise players.
The Golden Eagles were outshot in the game 20-14 but their pressure showed in the amount of corner kicks they were awarded. The team managed to gain six corners in the second half alone on the way to seven in the game.
Cochise finished with more foul calls, picking up 13 to the nine for LCCC.
Up next, the Golden Eagles are on the road again when they travel to Rochester, New York for a pair of matches. The first will be against the host Monroe Community College Tiburons on Friday afternoon at noon MDT.
"Coming off of this game we are going to be on a high," O'Leary said. "We have to work and want it like we did this game. I think it's going to be fun to go there, whether we win or lose, I think we just have to work hard and have fun."
They will close out the trip with a game against the Harford Community College Owls on Saturday with kickoff also at noon.
"Heading into New York, it gives us a really good taste of what nationals looks like," Arenas said. "If that's your goal, then you know the level that you need to play at. Not everyone gets to fly across the United States and experience that with a group of girls that you just won a game with."
More information on those matches as well as the full schedule can be found at www.golccc.com.