By Breezh Nunez, Oct. 5, 2021
On Sept. 25, the CPP women’s soccer team went head-to-head with CSULA, scoring their fourth win this season. The Broncos utilized aggressive plays and strategic tactics to end the game with a final score of 4-2.
The Broncos kicked off the game with a display of intensity as defender Elise Garcia scored the team’s first goal, placing immediate pressure on the CSULA team.
Head Coach Jay Mason expressed his awe of the team’s drive from the moment they stepped on the field.
“Some of our younger girls had opportunities today and really took them in absence of two very influential players that are normally on the field a lot. So, it’s a testament to the depth and the talent of this team. I’m proud of their effort today,” said Mason.
Assistant Coach Jackie Bruno believes the high intensity nature of the game added consistent pressure to both teams, resulting in an initial struggle for CPP. As the Broncos continued to engage in offense-focused plays, CSULA was forced to play defensively throughout the entirety of the game.
“There was some unfortunate miscommunication that led to us conceding a goal, but I think we responded well, and we were able to capitalize the remainder of the half and the remainder of the game. They really responded well, they stayed calm and composed so they were able to see out the game,” said Bruno.
The match against CSULA provided insight into what upcoming CCAA games will be like for the team.
“It’s great to get a feel of what we’ll see in actual conference play, so it definitely helps us prep down the line when we play them again,” said Bruno.
Midfielder Nicolle Villarreal, who is experiencing her first fall season with the team, is thrilled the team had the chance to share the field with a conference contender like CSULA.
“I mean Cal State LA has a lot of really good individual players, so it was a lot of great battles,” said Villarreal. “Just being physical and technical against that team was fun to experience.”
As opposed to previous seasons, the team welcomed 13 new players this fall. However, the team has experienced growth since in-person practices resumed, according to Villarreal.
“Every day at practice were working on communication and how to build more connections with each other both by trying to get more touches and passes in. Even the goals that we’ve been scoring, we score a lot on set pieces which is our main thing since we have a lot of tall and strong players that are dangerous in the box,” said Villarreal. “I feel like we’re getting more into the groove of the way we want to play with building against teams by going around them rather than playing panic ball,” said Villarreal.
A set piece occurs any time there is a restart of play from a foul or tan out-of-bounds ball. It provides the attacking team a chance to place stronger players into positions where it is more likely for them to score a goal.
As UCSD is no longer in the CCAA tournament this season, the Broncos are striving to work their way to the top of the rankings.
“We have all decided that our goal is to be this very intense and relentless team. Every game we want to go in aggressive and continue fighting the entire 90 minutes,” said Villarreal. “Performance-wise, our goal has been to go into the NCAA tournament and win league; this year we’re hungry and we just want it.”
The team’s upcoming games, including a upcoming match against Stanislaus State on Oct. 8, and can be streamed via the CPP Athletics app or CCAA Network.