By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– The Chemeketa Community College Women’s Soccer team stepped it up as a defense Saturday morning against Whatcom at the Fields at the Capital Futbol Club.
They closed the gaps, ‘shaping’ their defense to close down those passing and the cut lanes and making the Orac’s try to go over the top of the Storm defense.
And when Whatcom did in what would be a 1-0 victory in the NWAC Friendlies, Chemeketa held them to that one goal in the first half as 2023 Sprague-grad Natalie Quintanilla helped keep the Storm in the game during the second half.
“It was definitely an experience… but I got used to it after a while,” said Quintanilla, who had nine saves in the game.
“Yesterday, we had a few challenges in the back line where they we were getting pulled wide and stretched and left a gap in the middle. We were talking to them post-game yesterday and pre-game today, and they were able to fix it together,” said Chemeketa Head Coach Luciane Wentz. “They were staying central and waiting for that ball to come from the wide channel and back inside instead of going all the way there and stopping. (Whatcom) was physical. They were big.”
Chemeketa had seven new players on the field during Saturday’s scrimmage, three of them in the defensive back-third, and to see them matching the Orca’s intensity was awesome to see points Wentz.
The Storm went 0-1-1 in the Friendlies on Tuesday and Wednesday, Chemeketa tied with Highline 1-1 Tuesday to open the two-day’s worth of NWAC Friendlies at CFC with Avery Anunsen (South Salem) scoring the lone goal for the Storm. The two games gave Chemeketa that measuring stick that they needed to see where they are at, the good and the bad, going into the next few days in preparation for their season-opener against Southwestern Oregon Community College on August 30 in Salem.
“I think it helped us out a lot with pressure and keeping our defense strong,” Quintanilla said. “That’s something I’ve noticed that we’ve improved on after the first game was our defense was solid. Our wingers, sprinting, they’re making their runs. We’re playing more with our feet rather than the long ball. We’re playing more to feet, talking and getting to know each other’s playing style, so it’s definitely helping us getting more experience with each other.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
