After losing to Homestead 1-0 on Jan. 23, the girls soccer team is trying to rebuild its momentum and finish the season strong.

Coach Ernesto Cruz said there were some controversial calls that he was not happy about in the game against Homestead.

“I was very disappointed, I don’t want to find excuses for the loss, but the calls last game were not good. We could have tied the game.”

Coach Ernesto Cruz

At the end of the game, the center referee raised his arm and blew his whistle, awarding the Vikings a corner kick. However, a few moments later, he decided to blow three short tweets on his whistle, indicating that the game had ended. The corner that he had just called was no longer viable.

However, the result of the game cannot be solely blamed by poor decision making on part of the referee. According to junior midfielder Kaitlin Meyer, the team did not show enough cohesion and cooperation in the game against Homestead, which led to its downfall.

“The game on Wednesday was super disappointing because it was a team that we could have beat,” Meyer said. “As a team, we have been playing more individually than as a group, and this definitely is something we should work on.”

According to goalkeeper Mikayla Rimsa, the result could have been different if the team could better transition.

“I think we got stuck trying to get the ball from the defensive line up to the midfield. We might have a different result if we could transform quicker between offense and defense.”

Goalkeeper Mikayla Rimsa

Fortunately, according to Cruz, the loss did not hurt the confidence of his players, and they’ve developed a new strategy for their next opponent.

“The girls are still very optimistic, which I think is good.” Cruz said. “You always need to take things positively. We just got a new plan, and I hope that would work.”

Cruz decided, after careful consideration, that the team could benefit from a change in formation. The new shape would allow them to put more numbers into the attack and obtain a fresh start, freeing them from the slump that had taken over during the last few matches.

The team had played in a 4-3-3 formation, but transitioned  to a 4-4-2, which would keep two forwards planted at the top, ready to transition when the ball was turned over to the Vikings.

After the game, the team sits with a 2-7-4 record, and will  face Mountain View on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Even though the game could be tough, according to Cruz, it will be a great opportunity for the team to rebuild momentum. Mountain View have been consistently been placing first in the league for many years, and have always been a Viking rival.

In the first match against Mountain View, the game was relatively even during the first half, and thus, the Vikings know that they have the ability to compete at the level.

“They might be the best team in the league,” Cruz said. “But if we want to rebuild our momentum, it has to be from the best team. We are capable of beat ing them, we just need to put in enough effort on Wednesday.”

Rimsa agrees with Cruz, and said she is excited for the upcoming game.

Rimsa said, “We have looked better in practice and have a new formation that has worked very well. This game could determine the time for the rest of the season, and if we win, it shows the other teams in our conference that we can beat the best teams.”