Samo Girls' Soccer Beats South Torrance 2-1

Samo girls’ soccer team pulled out its first win of the pre-season on Thursday, Jan.9 against South Torrance. When the game began, the two teams seemed well matched — both with a sturdy defensive line and fast decision-making driving their attacking lines forward.For this reason, it came as somewhat of a surprise when, 25 minutes into the first half, Samo went 1-0 down off of a hard shot to the top corner from South Torrance.Samo recuperated quickly from the goal and came back with just as much, if not more pressure in the second half. The defensive line began to play out of the back, creating chances for the midfield and forwards. As Samo’s passing game developed, it became easier for them to penetrate South Torrance’s back line and it became apparent that the feel of the game was changing.Samo’s persistence paid off when Sadie Eller (’14) scored after taking the ball down the left side of the field about fifteen minutes into the second half. After this, the team picked up the momentum and the players began to create more scoring opportunities that resulted in the ball being crossed to center midfielder Ruby Malamed (’15) who scored the winning goal.“When I got the ball, in was already in the 6 [yard box] so I just shot it from there. This win was really important for us since we were tied 1-1 and just needed that boost get our momentum fully going,” Malamed said.Samo ended up winning the game 2-1, making it the first win of the season at home. According to Captain Marie Salem (’14), they hope to take this new found momentum into the beginning of season the coming week.“This win was very big for our team. We haven’t beat South Torrance in years and we were also struggling in the beginning of our pre-season, so this win will give us momentum for league,” Salem said.friosfetchko@thesamohi.com