The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s soccer team drew 0-0 against Cosumnes River on sophomore day on Tuesday, October 29.
The Bear Cubs entered the match with a 12-2-1 record and in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
“That’s where the pressure is on ourselves,” SRJC head coach Crystal Chaidez said. “We just have to keep taking each game as it comes and enjoy each moment. I think pressure comes with the opportunity. There’s a reason we are here in these five games…it’s just something we have to finish out our last two games in conference and focus on the next one and then get ready for the conference tournament.”
The Bear Cubs dealt with pressure coming from Cosumnes River in the first half. Hawks forward Angelina Ortiz missed the first shot and sent the ball over the crossbar in the 19th minute. A few minutes later, SRJC Forward Shae Dougherty missed from long range over the crossbar following a rally attempt.
The Hawks had another chance to score when midfielder Isabella Ramos crossed the ball from the right hand side but hit the crossbar. The Bear Cubs looked to finally open the scoring in the 52nd minute when forward Genevieve Stewart shot the ball, but once again the crossbar prevented the goal.
After a penalty on the Bear Cubs inside the box in the 60th minute, Ortiz took the penalty shot but was foiled by SRJC goalkeeper Dorothy Nickel as she dove to the right to deny Ortiz.
“I was really stressed at first but I knew that I just needed to reset, take a deep breath,” Nickel said. “It’s all in where their hips are pointed, so I saw that she was gonna close her hips so I knew where to go.”
When asked about Nickel’s efforts and skills, Chaidez said, “Our keepers, almost every single practice, we end with penalty kicks. It’s great for the attackers, and it’s great for our goalkeepers…so when they’re in this moment they know exactly what to do. They’re confident. They’ve seen it over and over and over again.”
Nickel made a double save, blocking a shot from inside the goal by Ramos before blocking the return by Mia Perez. The two saves kept the score at 0-0, where it would remain until time expired.
After a 5-1 win at Diablo Valley College on Nov. 1, the Bear Cubs will play their next game at home against Sierra College on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
