Girls soccer stays undefeated after tie with El Segundo

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, the Samo girls soccer team maintained their undefeated record after a 2-2 tie against El Segundo High School. “Playing El Segundo going in was definitely going to be a challenge because they’re number three in the league, but probably the strongest team,” head coach Jimmy Chapman said.Due to a questionable call by the referee early on the game, El Segundo was granted a penalty kick, resulting in a 1-0 lead by the third seed team in Ocean League. The Vikings entered the second half with a different mindset as they equalized the game 1-1 off a cross from forward Gabrielle Clouse (’16) to midfielder Maggie Lena (’17) who finished it into the back of the net.“Going into the game, we knew El Segundo was going to be one of our biggest competitions, but we came out strong and played our best,” Lena said.Halfway through the second half, another foul was called on the Vikings inside the penalty box, prompting the lead in El Segundo’s favor of 2-1. However, Samo didn’t let up as they returned the favor with a goal from outside the box by Maya Cooper (’19) in the last eight minutes of the game.After an intense eighty minutes, the game extended into double overtime, where neither team scored, resulting in the final score of 2-2.“Overall, we played really well and in the end it came down to the refs and their calls,” Lena said. “However, for the next time, I think as a team we can be more of a unit and really just playing within our system is what’s going to make us successful.”The VIkings came into the game prepared for a challenge and ended with a positive outcome, although not a win, they were still able to keep their undefeated record in league.“Towards the end of overtime, we clearly had all the chances–I don’t think they really had any shots on goals–so we were either going to win or tie,” Chapman said. “Unfortunately, this time we didn’t get a win, but we will definitely get a win the next time we face them.”