An accident on the 101-freeway caused the Cate School girls soccer team to wait for two hours in traffic and arrive ten minutes late for its match against Grace Brethren. The Rams were understandably stiff to start the game and gave up four goals in the first half before nearly mounting a comeback and scoring three goals after halftime.
Cate had no time to warm up due to the crazed bus ride, and allowed three goals in the first seven minutes of the game. Grace Brethren put another ball in the back of the net and was brimming with confidence due to its 4-0 lead, but Cate refused to quit.
“What I love about this team is that they are competitive and play with pride,” Cate head coach Lisa Holmes said. “We set the goal to win the second half; we did that and more, very nearly tying up the game in the closing minutes.”
Annie Weis started the second-half scoring by converting a penalty kick. Emily Nguyen continued to pressure Grace Brethren’s backline and fed Marguerite Mannix for Cate’s second goal.
Just minutes later, Frenanda Pett and Ellen Lempres connected for the Rams’ third goal.
With the gap nearly closed, Cate attacked relentlessly in the final minutes of the game, but was unable to get an equalizer.
“I am proud of the resilience and spirit the girls showed today and look forward to the league season that begins on our return,” Holmes said.
Cate will resume play after the holidays against Carpinteria on January 7.
