GIRLS SOCCER: Odessa High shuts out Midland Lee

Mar 03, 2013 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Aracely Hernandez said the Odessa High girls soccer team's back line likes to refer to itself as a stone wall.

It fits.

The defense was rock solid again Saturday against Midland Lee in a District 2-5A tilt at Ratliff Stadium as the Lady Bronchos produced a 2-0 victory to jump back into second place and sweep the season series from the Lady Rebels.

"We always try to stay together and talk to each other all the time," Hernandez, a senior, said. "And we always try to be stones against the other players so they can't pass us." Not much has been around or through the foursome that includes Hernandez, Chasidy Rayos, Raly Venegas and Gladys Garcia, plus, of course, goalkeeper Amari Olivan.

In 11 district games, teams have tagged just four goals on the Lady Bronchos (10-3-3 overall, 7-1-3, 24 points), who lead Midland High by one point and Permian by two in the race for the second spot, behind first-place San Angelo Central (31 points). OHS hasn't allowed more than one goal in those league games, as the four minor blemishes have come courtesy of four different teams and only one contributed to a loss.

Saturday's shutout is the team's fourth in a row -- a span in which OHS has gone 3-0-1, with the tie a 0-0 final Tuesday at Central.

"They do a great job of communicating. Those back four really have it together. They support each other well, and when you have that click with a back line, it's something you can't find a lot," OHS head coach Cecilia Kellar said. "We put a lot of emphasis on it. They know how important their role is on the team, and Amari does a great job of leading them back there. They are confident in each other." Lee is one of the four sides to crack the OHS back line, scoring one goal in the team's last meeting Feb. 2 in Midland, which ended up a 4-1 Lady Bronchos' win.

Deo'nna Calhoun, who had the goal last month and is a shifty force with the ball in space, and her running mate up top, Tori Rackow, again was the main focus. OHS managed to limit the effectiveness of the Lady Rebels' most dangerous duo.

"That's a lot of speed they had to deal with back there," Kellar said. "For us to be able to pick that and read those balls and intercept them before (Calhoun and Rackow) can use their speed against us, I thought they did a really good job." It's really all in a day's work, Venegas said.

"Defense is our part," she said. "We all just get each other's back and we trust each other a lot. We know how we play." Though it wasn't by a lack of scoring chances, it took OHS 40 minutes to solve Lee's (4-12-1, 3-7, nine points) defensive puzzle and take a 1-0 lead. Ariane Bersoza scored off a pass from Alexa Branum with 49 seconds remaining before halftime to snap a 135-minute scoring drought that dated back to the second half against Abilene High last weekend.

Branum padded the advantage in the 54th minute, lacing a free kick from 1-yard outside the Lee penalty area to the top, left of the cage. Emma Martinez was given an assist on the goal, after it was her effort that drew the foul call.

--Follow Joshua Weaver on Twitter @OAtheWeave ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

[ Back To Technology News's Homepage ]