Laguna Blanca’s Siena Speirs gets a pass away before Carpinteria’s Alexa Benitez can make a play. (Presidio Sports photos)
Senior Kelsie Bryant broke a scoreless game and freshman Alejandra Alvarez scored her in varsity debut, leading Carpinteria to a 2-0 season-opening girls soccer victory over Laguna Blanca on Monday.
“I was very pleased with how we started the game as we showed a lot of patience and did a good job of working the ball around the back,” Carpinteria coach Charles Bryant said. “We had some good chances early on but just had a hard time finishing.
Bryant ripped a left-footed blast for the first goal after hitting the crossbar earlier in the first half.
Alvarez notched her first goal with a well-placed left footed shot.
Coach Bryant praised the play of his defenders, especially Monica Garcia and Alejandra Garcia. “They showed a lot of composure back there and were well in control from a defensive standpoint.”
Alejandra Alvarez scored the second goal for Carpinteria on Monday.
Sarah Moseley had the best scoring chance for Laguna Blanca but saw her shot trickled just wide of the post.
Goalkeeper Morgan Gainey played a strong game for the Owls (0-1-1)
“She made a number of great saves throughout the match to keep the score as it was and our defense worked extremely hard as the game saw us defending for long periods of time,” Laguna coach Kevin Shertzer said. He cited the play of Grace MacNeil, Lexi Yabsley, Kendall White, and Julia Fay.
