Playing the No. 1 team in the state on the road and losing 4-0 is enough to shake the confidence of any team. Just ask the Camp Verde girls soccer team, which had that very experience on Sept. 28 in a game at the top-ranked Desert Christian Eagles.
The fallout from that game was felt days later when the Camp Verde girls lost a 1-0 game at Chino Valley, a game that Cowboys coach Pat Allen said they should have won.
“We didn’t start the first half very well; dominated the second half. They just played good defense,” Allen said.
The Camp Verde coach said that a small mistake by keeper Ady Ruiz led to the lone goal in the game.
“I’ve been telling her to come out, and she comes out and stops 90 percent of them,” Allen said. “But if we don’t score — it was just one of those that we could not get the ball in the net, shot after shot after shot.”
With a 3-3-1 record and a No. 9 state ranking, the Camp Verde girls are still looking to make some noise come playoff time, and with four straight home games left on their schedule, they are in a good position to do just that.
“We’re not unhappy with the girls at all, with their play, they’re doing a good job,” Allen said. “We’re steadily improving, so we’re looking to do well toward the end of the season.
“We’re really coming together, which is what we want to do.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 9, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
