THE DEFENSE
The defense has been strong for the Lady Cats all season and has been the heartbeat of this team. Goalkeeper Angelica Soto has been magnificent this season, but she had nothing but praise for her teammates' defense: “The back line and mid-field have been like a safety blanket for me this season. They make my job way easier. They’re always in the right spots.” Since April 16, the Lady Cats have played six games, and have allowed just four goals. Coach Dominguez always speaks defense first when talking about this team and rightfully so, as they keep this team in every game night in and night out. The back line of Cristal Aguilar, Jacqueline Reyna, Angelina Soto, and Yudit Dominguez have all played lights out this season. “There was a game where I only touched the ball twice all game. My defense was awesome,” Angelica Soto said. And we can’t fully speak defense until we talk about Brency Cabriales, Esme Leon, and Keidy Azanza, because they lock down the mid-field for the Lady Cats. “We come out and put forth a lot of effort, hard-work, and we try to keep improving on our communication,” Brency Cabriales said. This is a great group of defenders, and they are all ready for their opportunity on Thursday against Shiloh Christian.
THE ATTACK
On the attack for Hope, Miracle Martinez has lately done an excellent job of distributing the ball, as she has piled up five assists the last three games. Martinez also has seven goals on the season, as well as leading this team in assists. She spoke on Tuesday about the Lady Cats' great opportunity at the State Tournament this week, “We have a lot of potential in our girls. We’ve had really good practices. We’re gaining confidence, and our chemistry is improving.” With a season-ending injury to the Lady Cats leading scorer Madelyne Maclaughlin, Crystal Ortiz, Brianna Maclaughlin, Paola Dominguez, Ari Juanes, and Audrey Mercado have all stepped up in a big way for Hope. The Lady Cats offense sputtered a bit for a few matches midway through conference, but have found a nice groove recently, scoring nine goals in the past three games. The team aspect has really taken off for this unit, as four different Lady Cats have scored goals in the last week and the assists are piling up as well.
The Matchup vs Shiloh Christian
Shiloh Christian is the one-seed out of the West Region, as they sport a 9-1-1 record. “They’re tall, athletic, and very similar to the Bauxite team we’ve played this year,” Coach Josh Marshall said you can expect a lot of intensity from the Lady Cats in this one, as they have had great practices this week, and are very excited about the opportunity. Senior Stopper Brency Cabriales said, “I’m very excited, very proud of our team and our girls, and our hard-work and effort. The State Tournament is a different atmosphere so we’re excited."
The match is set to begin at 5PM on Thursday evening at Bauxite High School.
