Niki Cunningham Sports Editor
ereporter: Bob Nielsen
Lassen Arsenal was back on the pitch on Saturday as they faced off against the Black Diamonds at the South Valleys Regional Sports complex in Reno. In their second match of the season, the U-14 girls soccer team made a few tactical changes and saw some big results. The game got underway on a wet field, but it didn’t slow down striker Amber Jackson, whose second shot of the day in the second minute of the game put Lassen up 1-0, and there was no looking back.
With her superior Speed, Jackson took a pretty through-ball pass from Kristen Zamora and sprinted 50 yards, giving a fine finishing touch in a 1v1 situation past the keeper. A handful of minutes later, she made a similar run on a pass from Lily Buehler, with a similar result. The Black Diamonds defense was unable to adjust and keep Jackson contained, and she caused trouble for them throughout the game.
However, about 15 minutes into the half, the Black Diamonds were able to answer the Lassen goals with a score of their own. While several long shots had proved unsuccessful, they found a hole in the defense and got a breakaway, and were able to sneak the ball past the outstretched hands of Lassen’s Keeper, Lexie Stevens. The look on faces of the Lassen girls sent a clear message: That’s not going to happen again! Indeed, Stevens was perfect through the rest of the half, and the defense closed ranks to deny that kind of opportunity.
In the waning minutes of the half, KK Shirley sent a long, high ball from the touch line into to the penalty box, where Jackson brought it down with a deft touch, and with two more dibbles, took the keeper out of position and placed it in the back corner. At the half, Lassen led the game by a score of 3-1.
The second half brought a change in pace for Lassen, with the game plan focused more on possession than a fast break. Lassen really showed some dominance with controlled touches and accurate passing. With the Black Diamonds defense trying to protect against the short game, Gabi Nielsen found Zamora with a long ball, and Zamora turned, went around 2 defenders, and raced towards goal. With Shirley open in the middle ready to put the ball in the back of the net, Zamora looked to the near post instead, and blasted home her first goal of the season.
The final goal of the game came from the feet of Allison Magarrell, her first in several seasons. Playing a defensive midfielder, she is often too far out to take shots. However, it also means that the defense ignores her, and she took advantage of the situation. She waited on a backwards pass, and blasted the ball over the top of the defense, and put it in the top of the net from 40 yards out. The 5-1 victory gave Lassen their first win of the season, and they now have a 1-1 record. They look forward to their next game against the Sagebrush Patriots in Sparks on April 30th.
