The Odessa High girls soccer team had to figure out how to slow down Midland High early in District 2-6A play Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
Despite a stronger showing in the second half, the Lady Bronchos couldn’t hold off the Lady Dawgs in a 6-2 loss.
“Right off the bat, they definitely were looking to put a lot of balls into that space behind our back line,” Odessa High coach Cecilia Kellar said. “They do a good job taking advantage of their opportunities and once they finished those first two in eight minutes, it really put us in a hole we had to climb out of.”
Midland High’s attackers used their speed to their advantage from the opening minutes of the match and it paid off almost immediately.
Melanie Sanchez scored the match’s first goal when she controlled a lobbed pass and placed the ball in the lower right corner past the Odessa High goalkeeper, putting the Lady Dawgs up near the three-minute mark of the contest.
Sanchez showed that she could make the most of the opportunities that landed at her feet, finishing a through ball from Kristian Henderson to extend Midland High’s advantage to two goals three minutes later.
Odessa High couldn’t respond fast enough, as Kinsey Hill fired a left-footed distance shot to further extend the visitors’ advantage.
Hill scored her second goal of the match toward the end of the first half, pushing in a deflected penalty kick to give the Lady Dawgs a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Bronchos seemed to pick up the pace in the second half when Tatum Ray scored their first goal, seeing an intended cross from the right wing curve into the Midland High goal.
“I was really proud of their efforts in the second half,” Kellar said. “That was our goal coming out of halftime, winning the second half.”
Odessa High used more of its speed, but was slowed down when a cross from Hill was converted by Henderson to further extend the Lady Dawgs’ lead.
Both teams scored once more before the end of the match, with Cassandra Ramirez scoring for the Lady Bronchos and Hill converting for Midland High.
Midland High girls soccer coach Rafael Gonzalez said having a player like Hill gives his team an edge on the attacking end.
“Our game plan is always around her,” Gonzalez said. “When she has a good night, everyone looks good.”
The Lady Bronchos (2-14 overall, 0-7 district) continue the second round of district play against San Angelo Central at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in San Angelo.
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