Despite loss, girls soccer coach is optimistic about season

Samo suffered their first taste of defeat this season after losing 2-1 on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Mira Costa High School. The match started with Samo mounting a strong attack, however, they were quickly met with retaliation from Mira Costa's midfield who were able to strike back with a quick counter and press the ball into Samo’s third for most of the first half until they scored a goal at the bottom right of the net.After receiving an invigorated pep-talk by head coach Jimmy Chapman, Samo came out aggressively in the second half and immediately started pressuring Mira Costa's defence.Maggie Lena, a midfielder, was able scored off a rebound in the beginning of the second half to tie the game up 1-1.For the rest of the second half both teams were relatively fair matched with the ball going back and forth across the field.With only a few minutes left in the second half, a Mira Costa player intercepted a pass in Samo’s third and was able to score an easy goal, ending the game 2-1. Despite their loss, Chapman still has very high hopes for the team and has blamed the loss primarily on the fact that this is a very new team who has had to transition into a new technique and style of play.“Were playing with a very new, very risky, very offensive formation that requires a entirely new mindset for the girls, instead playing it safe we want the girls to be the initiators of every attack instead of the defenders, not only that but we want them to stay on that attack and press the opposing team.”According to Chapman, he is pleased with the result and effort that the girls put out against a team that has been playing together for a longer time. “We need to give them that confidence, give them that exposure, give them the opportunity, give them all those things and I know that this team can be great,” Chapman said.