Carson High forward Angie Cortes (12) volleys home her goal in the Senators' 2-0 win over Bishop Manogue Tuesday night.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Through 60 minutes Tuesday night Carson High and Bishop Manogue girls’ soccer had been waiting for the opening goal.
The Senators had pushed the pace for a majority of the first half, but the Miners had shown plenty of ability to counter and switch the field.
It took until the 63rd minute for the Senators to break through on the score sheet.
Gracie Walt lofted a perfect free kick over the heads of the Miner defense and senior forward Angie Cortes ran onto it.
Cortes reached out with her left foot and deposited a low volley into the back of the net.
It was the first of two goals Carson scored in the final minutes of regulation in a 2-0 win over Bishop Manogue.
“I felt like we were dominating the game to that point,” said senior captain Reese Mackenzie.
Free kicks had been a theme in practice leading into Tuesday’s game and it paid off on the first tally.
Seven minutes later, Carson was on the attack again.
This time it was an underclassmen connection as sophomore Monserrat Iza passed freshman Addison Morgan into space.
In stride, Morgan shuffled stepped and buried a shot to the far corner out of the reach of the Miners’ keeper.
It was Morgan’s first goal of her varsity career.
“It’s always so exciting,” said Mackenzie of watching a freshman net her first goal.
(Carson's Addison Morgan (9) gets crowded by teammates as they celebrate Morgan's first varsity goal against Bishop Manogue Tuesday. / Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)
Senator shutout
Managing the defensive line has been a shuffling process for Carson early on.
Initially, the Senators weren’t sure who would be on their back line, but the formation has come together through six games this season.
“We started with almost nobody playing defense,” said captain Kaylee Garcia. “We had people step up who have never played it before, so that has worked out for us.”
One of those pieces moving to the back is fellow captain Nat Wakeling, who has previously played forward for the Senators.
The speedster isn’t afraid to step out and show off her offensive skills. Tuesday, Wakeling made a couple of runs down the sideline that resulted in scoring chances for Carson.
“We didn’t have a lot of people playing defense and we have a lot of forwards, so I switched to defense,” said Wakeling.
“We’ve been pulling different JV players up for each game and see how they do,” said Mackenzie.Speed on the backline has been beneficial for Carson so far.
Freshman goalkeeper Alondra Carillo made a diving save in the fourth minute to keep Bishop Manogue off the board.
“Our goalie is really stepping up as a keeper,” said Mackenzie
Carrillo made a pair of quality saves just before the final whistle to solidify the shutout.
The freshman has stepped into net after playing in the field earlier this season.
“This will build our confidence for future games,” said Garcia. “We just need to keep our confidence on the ball and stay humble.”
UP NEXT: Carson will have some time off after Saturday's contest with Douglas had been postponed.
(Carson High senior Scout Bourgeois (22) winds up to shoot against Bishop Manogue Tuesday night.
/ Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)
