DOWNEY – A vicious game loaded with yellow cards and even a red card occurred last Tuesday when the Vikings competed in their first soccer game against Warren this season, and even with such ferocious play the game ended tied, 1-1.

“Overall, they did good,” said forward Krystal Rojas. “They were together—it was a good game. We were all focused, we really wanted it, and we really wanted to win. We played with heart, but I don’t know, I guess it wasn’t enough.”

The ladies went into a failed overtime with neither team scoring in the 10 minutes that the referee’s supplied the players. Even with loads of competition Downey made only one goal, which was made by forward Brandi Neilan. Aggression got in the way of every run the girls attempted and even lead to defensive player Brianna Bobadilla receiving a red card. Downey argued that Bobadilla’s red card was unnecessary due to it being all-ball. But the referee saw her tripping the Warren player, as she kicked the ball, as interference.

Fouls were committed left, right, and center by both teams and Downey alone received approximately 10 yellow cards. The red card limited Downey to having only 10 players on the field, and yet they were still able to keep up with Warren. If the Vikings had an extra player in the game, they would have had a better chance of winning, said Rojas.

Also included in Downey’s soccer games last week were victorious games against Dominguez and Lynwood. In the first half of the Dominguez game, Downey played sloppily and slowly. But after halftime, Downey picked up the pace and scored three goals by Crystal Fresquez, Sabrina Estrada and Neilan, respectively, and zero from the Dons. The Vikings then cruised to a 4-0 win over Lynwood.

After all these games, Downey remains tied for first with Warren. The only way Downey may keep this tie, or even come out on top, would be for them to remain undefeated and arrive prepared for the next Downey-Warren game. This game will occur next Wednesday Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. at Warren.

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Published: February 5, 2010 - Volume 8 - Issue 42