In soccer, some ties feel more like a tie, while others feel more like a win. This one definitely leaned more toward the latter. We started the game missing three players, all of whom play on the defensive side of the ball, so we knew it was going to take a team effort and some players going out of position to play a good defensive game. Unfortunately, our lack of defensive continuity hit right away, as HD took the lead just 3 minutes into the game. We settled in for a while after that, with the game going back and forth, but HD was able to double their lead in the 17th minute after a nice cross into our box. It wasn't looking like our half at that point, but just two minutes later we were able to pull one back. Tobin got the ball over to Daly, who finished it off and cut the lead in half. It stayed at 2-1 until half.
During half time we regrouped and talked about what we could do differently. This was our first half time deficit of the year after all! We made some lineup changes as well and headed into the second half confident that we could get back into the game. However, just like the first half, it didn't start well. Just two minutes in, we were down 2 goals again. It was now 3-1 and we were facing the daunting task of outscoring our opponents by at least 2 goals over the rest of the game. To the girls' credit, they didn't give up, showed resilience, and did just that. In the 33rd minute, Tucker made something happen herself, getting a solo goal in the 33rd minute and bringing it to 3-2. We ramped up the pressure and started creating more and more chances. The ball was barely spending any time in the first third of the pitch at this point, as we pushed up on every goal kick and closed out harder on every pass. The breakthrough finally came in the 40th minute when Daly got the ball out on the right wing and hit a strong shot at goal. The keeper couldn't do anything but get a deflection on it, but it still went in. It was a bit of a nervy moment as the ref wasn't sure at first if it was in or out as the ball went through a gap in the net, but the correct call was made and we had tied it! Over the last five minutes we had a few more chances, but couldn't put anything away. In a rematch, I would feel very good about our odds of winning.
While the offense gets most of the headlines, we can't forget about the defensive contributions made during this particular match as well. Athey made a few great saves in goal. Filling, Green, Mangum, Walton, and Wilson all moved from their regular positions to help us out on defense and did an amazing job. A special shout out to Wilson, who played center back for the entire second half and did a fantastic job. Marsigilia, usually an outside back, played mostly in the center this game as well and did a great job filling in. Finally, special mentions to Borg and Woodworth, who were both recovering from injuries, but still managed to play strong games. It was a true team effort that showed plenty of grit. Congrats on the tie and we'll see you back at home on Wednesday!

Goals
Daly 19' 40' (3)
Tucker 33' (3)