Witz, defense lift Bears over Sharks
CORONA » Morgan Witz has worked hard over the years to get a little more bend on the ball.
All that effort paid off Thursday afternoon as Witz curled a corner kick inside the back post for a stunning goal. Witz’s corner bender was the difference, as the Temecula Valley girls soccer team edged Santiago 1-0 in a nonleague match between Riverside County powerhouses.
“If the opportunity is there, it’s something I try to do,” said Witz, a senior headed to California Baptist. “I could see a little bit of an opening there, so I took the chance and put it away.”
Temecula Valley coach Jennifer Guinn said she was not surprised to see Witz curl that one into the net.
“We have always been a team that is strong on set pieces,” Guinn said. “Morgan brings a lot of skill and experience as a senior. The way she got around that ball was a beautiful thing to see.”
It was a frustrating moment for Santiago coach Mike Fleming, because his squad had a chance to take a lead a minute earlier from a set piece. A ball fell onto the foot of Autumn Thompkins, but her strike toward goal was blocked by Temecula Valley center back Zoe Willis.
Temecula Valley (2-0) quickly countered the other way and won the corner in the 53rd minute.
“If you leave a door open against a team like Temecula Valley, you are likely going to regret it,” Fleming said. “If you don’t take advantage of chances or protect the ball, you’re going to pay.”
Temecula Valley had the best scoring opportunity in the opening half. Natalie Mitchell lined up a free kick from 22 yards out in the 17th minute, but Santiago goalkeeper Trinity Corcoran lunged to the right, got her hand to the ball and deflected it off the post to keep the match scoreless.
Katie Vanderbyl nearly scored an improbable goal for Temecula Valley in the 49th minute, when she sent a free kick in from 45 yards away. Vanderbyl’s shot glanced off the post.
Santiago (2-1-1) had a couple of chances to even the score late in the match. Temecula Valley couldn’t clear a ball inside the box in the 69th minute, but a shot by Thompkins was saved by Hannah Crawford. Temecula Valley misplayed a ball during the 76th minute, but Santiago again could not capitalize on the mistake, as a strike by Kaitlin Taylor sailed to the right of the goal.
Guinn praised the effort of her defense, especially the center-back duo of Willis and Vanderbyl.
“It is exciting to see in the second game of the season their ability to work together and adapt to what Santiago was trying to do,” Guinn said. “I am really proud of the way they played today.”
Willis, a sophomore, had the difficult task of marking the UC Irvine-bound Thompkins for a majority of the match.
“She is tall and strong, so I just had to play aggressively against her,” Willis said.