Marble Falls girls soccer beats Brownwood
CAPTION: Suzena Perez unintentionally may have picked up an assist when she took a well-kicked ball to the stomach against Brownwood that led to the winning goal. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls soccer team defeated Brownwood 1-0 Jan. 17.
The goal was made by junior Ruby Carillo, who was in the right spot at the right time.
With around 15 minutes left in the match deep in Brownwood territory, sophomore Suzena Perez “took a hard hit to the stomach,” head coach Marisa Miller said.
As a result, the Lady Lion defender needed to get out of trouble. So she passed to her goalie, who had moved. That allowed Carillo to close in on the ball.
“Ruby ran at them and scored,” Miller said. “We capitalized on one of their mistakes and being focused on the ball. We’ve been working hard at being first to the ball. She was focused and waiting. She has this speed going for her. She uses it well.”
Brownwood isn’t an easy place to play. On top of it being a long road trip, the Lady Lions’ (8-1) program is very good. They’ve allowed only two goals all season and have scored eight goals in a single game twice this year.
“Brownwood is a very tough team,” Miller said. “They’re very good, and they possess very well. We did a great job of stepping up. Our offense, we’re learning different spots. We didn’t have as many opportunities. Sometimes it just takes one.”
She also credited the Lady Mustang defense for keeping the Lady Lions from scoring led by freshman goalie Taylor Brydon.
“She plays club and has some instincts back there,” the coach said. “The goalie does a lot of communication in the back and helps them arrange. They can see the field.”
One point of emphasis for the Lady Mustangs is communication, especially on the defensive end. Miller said injuries have forced some to play positions that are new. To help ensure Marble Falls is in position to defend well, the players must talk so they can adjust accordingly.
“Honestly, that’s something we’ve been working on with the whole team,” she said. “We’re learning to communicate as a whole team. We’ve been getting better and better. I think it’s going to continue improving.”
Miller said players’ communication is a staple of good programs.
“It all starts in practice and locking in and focusing,” she said.
Each practice begins with a list of what the players need to accomplish during the session. One goal is that players show they respect the sport and the speed of the varsity level by being mentally engaged throughout the practice in order to get the most out of it.
During warm-ups, they keep that focus and bring it with them for matches. Miller pointed out that the last two losses — to Austin KIPP 3-2 Jan. 13 and to La Vernia 1-0 Jan. 11 — were by a single goal.
“We can’t lose focus for one minute,” she said. “It can come down to a few seconds in the game. We’re playing all these teams and competing with them. Our goal for this game was to be the first to score and the first to beat them.”
Because of the inclement weather expected Tuesday, Jan. 21, Marble Falls will welcome Lampasas Wednesday, Jan. 22, with the junior varsity playing at 4 p.m. and the varsity at 5:30 p.m.
