A strong first-half performance was the key to victory for the Lady Eagles soccer team Saturday as they picked up a 3-2 win over visiting Eastfield College.
NTCC overcame stifling heat and the Eastfield defense to score three goals in the opening period of the contest before holding off a late Lady Harvester charge to earn the victory.
?We were able to come out strong in the first half, but we started breaking down in the second,? Lady Eagle Head Coach Desmond Barron said. ?We were better composed and had better communication than in our opener but conditioning became an issue late in the game.?
The Eagles? opening goal came in the game?s 19th minute as midfielder Chelsea Sobnosky raced past three Eastfield defenders before launching the ball past the Lady Harvester keeper.
A freshman from Santa Fe, TX, Sobnosky also scored the second goal of the contest on an assist from teammate Lucero Cruz in the game?s 32nd minute.
NTCC pushed its lead to 3-0 in the game?s 40th minute as Nereida Gomez recorded a goal. After the Eagles? first shot of the play was deflected by the Eastfield keeper, Gomez was then able to redirect the ball into the net to give NTCC a three-goal lead at the half.
The triple-digit heat appeared to be getting to the Lady Eagles in the second half of the contest as Eastfield was able to cut the NTCC lead to 3-2 despite being a player down for most of the half.
?The heat was surely a factor in the second half, ? Barron admitted. ?It?s hard to play in those kind of temperatures but I think our performance had more to do with our conditioning than with the heat.?
With the win, the Lady Eagles improve to 1-1 on the season.††NTCC will be back in action Friday as the Lady Eagles host Brookhaven beginning at 3 p.m.
