Mercy SF started the game stronger than the last time Crystal played them. Mercy had clearly been working on the offsides trap and compacted the field into a tight 30-yard space. It took some time for CSUS to solve how to beat the offsides trap, but once they broke the offsides line, goals started coming.
In the 14th minute Camille L scored on an assist from a free kick taken by Jayla A. Five minutes later, Kat K scored from a slotted-ball assisted by Reilly S. Thirty-three minutes in, Nadia N finished a rebounded shot taken by Naila N. Four minutes later, Naila N scored a goal from an assisted pass from Sophie M. Jayla finished the half with an unassisted goal, where she dribbled through Mercy’s team in the 38th minute. Even through all these goals, Mercy continued to work hard and had several chances breaking through our defense, but with no luck.
In the second half, Elaine C came out of the goal and had a chance to play as the center striker, looking for her opportunity to score a goal. She succeeded in scoring in the 55th minute, assisted by Raquel W. Soon after, Meg D unfortunately received a red card on a questionable call by the referee. Meg came out of the goal to clear the ball, but Mercy’s forward was able to beat Meg to ball and kicked the ball. The ball hit Meg in the face then hit her hand. The referee called it as a hand ball, but also “stopping a direct goal scoring opportunity.” Meg was removed from the game and CSUS had to play a man down for the remainder of the game. As a result, Sophia O was put in goal.
Mercy later had a breakaway and CSUS’s defense quickly got back to stop the player. Jayla made a hard tackle and was called for a foul in the penalty box and was given a yellow card. Mercy was given a penalty kick. Quickly, CSUS’s coach switched Elaine back into the goal and moved Sophia onto the field. Mercy’s player stepped up to take the kick and Elaine blocked the shot and the rebound, keeping the CSUS shutout streak going. Lastly, in the 68th minute Raquel W intercepted a pass and scored the last goal of the game. Although CSUS beat Mercy 7-0, Mercy never let up and played a smart game.