PASADENA — Much like the nonleague portion of the season, the Pasadena Poly girls’ soccer team delivered a strong effort through the first 40 minutes of their Prep League opener Thursday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Park versus host Mayfield Senior.
The CIF Southern Section Division III fourth-ranked Panthers attempted 10 shots on goal, scoring on half those tries in the first half in eventually rolling to a 6-0 victory.
“Soccer is a funny game. We got up a couple of goals early and that may have been the difference,” Panthers Coach Pat Gray said. “We were fortunate today. Our kids were on the right side of some deflected balls and before we knew it, we had scored five goals.”
The Panthers’ playmaking duo of junior forward Noel Askins (one goal and two assists) and senior forward Sarah Mendenhall (one goal and one assist) figured in four of the team’s five first-half goals in aiding an attack that needed only five minutes to get on the board.
Askins set up the first goal when she crossed inside the penalty area to sophomore Ryan Casey, who chipped in a five-yard score that put the Panthers (7-0 overall, 1-0 in league) ahead, 1-0.
Four minutes later, Mendenhall found the back of the net after junior midfielder Evan Gancedo crossed her a pass from outside the 18 that bounced off the foot of Johnson and was rattled in by Mendenhall from close range.
“This year we wanted to focus in on going forward with a purpose and that showed. We wanted to come out and make a statement in our first league game,” Mendenhall said. “We just went out ready to pounce.”
Mendenhall led the third score when her corner kick in the 13th minute was taken by Johnson, who bounced a shot deflected away by Cubs goalie Marissa Valenzuela.
Unfortunately for Valenzuela and the Cubs (4-3-1, 1-1), the ricocheted shot was rebounded by Askins, who netted her lone score to put Poly up, 3-0.
The Panthers’ fourth goal within the first 20 minutes may have been the most impressive as Askins, who was about 10 yards away from goal, dished out to teammate Catherine Boyer in the 19th minute.
The senior took the pass and laced a 20-yard goal just past a backtracking Valenzuela that put Poly up, 4-0.
Freshman Ryan Casey scored Poly’s final goal of the first half when she rebounded a stop from Valenzuela off Askins and knocked in a rebound goal.
“I really liked how all our goals were scored by different people,” Askins said. “We’re really deep offensively and everyone has something to add.”
Held without a shot in the first half, the Cubs made a charge in the second half and finished with three shots, with the best attempt taking place in the 61st minute when senior striker Kennedy Dinius broke down two defenders in front of the penalty area and slithered inside for a 15-yard shot that forced a difficult save from Panthers goalie Julia Yun.
“We almost won the second half and that’s what matters to me,” said longtime Cubs assistant Calum Torrie, who was filling in for coach Chris Howe, who was in England for the holidays. “We were missing four starters today with club play or injuries, so we knew this was going to be a difficult match.”
Poly notched the second-half’s lone score on a goal from sophomore Kayla Valencia.
Despite the score, Valenzuela tallied several impressive stops in finishing with 10 saves.
