Monse Iza fires a goal in the 15th minute in Carson High girls' soccer's 1-1 draw against Reno Tuesday night.
Photo by Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage.
Carson High girls’ soccer took the lead in the 15th minute Tuesday evening against Reno and held it until the game’s final moments.
Late into stoppage time, Reno’s Kylee Quain found the top right corner of the netting, resulting in a 1-1 draw between the two Northern Nevada league foes.
It’s the Senators’ second league contest of the year, which helps ease the sting of having a full three points slip away in the final moments.
“From our first game we’ve improved a lot,” said senior captain Alyssa Tomita. “We’re missing like four of our starters, so that tie we will take.”
The Senators are 2-1-2 on the season and 0-1-1 in league play, following Tuesday’s home opener.
Early lead
Reno had the first true scoring chance of the contest in the 13th minute, but the Huskies shot cleared off the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Carson’s Monse Iza took advantage of her chance as a deflected ball found her feet.
With a turn, Iza smashed a right-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box through a pair of defenders and into the top corner.
Hustle from Gracie Walt as well as Tomita put enough pressure on the Reno defenders to allow the ball to get to Iza’s feet.
The two squads traded occasional looks at net until the 32nd minute when Walt’s cross just missed a streaking Tomita for a header on the back post.
Defensively, sophomore Elayna Quintero has quickly made an impression on the royal blue and white and showcased her prowess in home opener.
On numerous occasions, Quintero turned away the Huskies with her speed and ability to stand up attacking players trying to advance.
“She’s our life saver,” said Walt of Quintero’s quickness on the back line.
Along with Quintero’s defense, Alondra Carrillo continued to show her expertise in goal after playing 11 games in net last season as a freshman.
Carrillo may not always be the Senators’ keeper this season, but put together a diving save in the 74th minute that kept Carson in the lead.
Carson will have to wait until October 1 to see Reno again, but there’s an early season takeaway from the late goal Tuesday night.
“When we play them again, we know how they play and we just need to work harder at the end,” said captain Lyna Alvarado.
With only five games under their belts, it’s a result Carson can take in stride and use to steer practice routines.
The offensive identity for Carson has shifted a little, but the senior captains are continuing to help drive the newer style in practice.
“A lot of it is in our press, attacking. You’ll see us playing our center backs a lot more instead of just playing the long balls every time,” Tomita said.
UP NEXT: Carson will travel to Galena (3-1-2, 0-1-1 in league) Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. league contest. The Senators and Grizzlies have already met once in a preseason tournament, which resulted in a 0-0 draw.
