Giants Fall to Fresno City in Narrow 1-0 Defeat, Bounce Back with Dominant 6-2 Win Over Lemoore

The College of the Sequoias women's soccer team experienced a mixed week, suffering a tough 1-0 loss to Fresno City on Friday before bouncing back with a commanding 6-2 victory over Lemoore on Tuesday. Despite the loss to Fresno City, the Giants regrouped and displayed a relentless offensive effort in their dominant win over Lemoore, improving their conference record to 1-1 and gaining momentum for the upcoming matches.

COS 0, Fresno City 1 

The College of the Sequoias (2-3-1, 0-1) suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fresno City College (4-2, 1-0) on Friday, September 20. Despite a valiant defensive effort and strong goalkeeping, a first-half goal by Fresno City's Valerie Rocha proved to be the difference in the match. 

Fresno got on the board early, with Rocha finding the net in the 9th minute, assisted by TJ Avila. This was the lone goal of the game as they held off the Giants' attempts to level the score for the remainder of the game.  

"We fought hard defensively, but Fresno capitalized on their early chance," said COS' head coach Brooklyn Morris. "We had some great saves from Haylie [Brasil] (Manteca HS), but we couldn't generate the offensive pressure we needed today."  

COS' goalkeeper Brasil saw 11 shots, 10 of which she managed to save, keeping her team within striking distance. 

"Haylie was outstanding today, keeping us in the game with key saves," Morris continued. "We need to work on building more possession and creating more chances going forward." 

Though the Giants battled to maintain defensive composure, Fresno controlled the tempo and possession for much of the game. Despite the loss, the Sequoias' resilience on defense kept the match close and provided a learning opportunity for the team moving forward. 

COS 6, Lemoore 2 

The College of the Sequoias (3-3-1, 2-1) surged past Lemoore College (1-5-2, 0-2) with a dominant 6-2 win on Tuesday at Sequoias Stadium. The Giants delivered a huge performance, scoring three goals in the first half and adding another three in the second. 

The scoring started early for COS when Lynea Rivera (El Diamante HS) opening the tally in the 13th minute off an assist from Payten Ball (Redwood HS). Just minutes later, Amber Cole (Lemoore HS) doubled the lead in the 15th minute, with Morgan Escobar (Tulare Western HS) providing the assist. Jaydyn Villarreal (El Diamante HS) scored her first goal of the season in the 22nd minute, giving COS a 3-0 lead. However, Lemoore College roared back with consecutive goals, making it 3-2 going into halftime. 

"We started strong, but we let our guard down a little after going up by three," said COS' head women's soccer coach Brooklyn Morris. "We knew Lemoore would fight back, and they did. But, I'm proud of how we regrouped at halftime and came out with the more energy in the second half." 

The Giants continued their offensive onslaught in the second half, with Jocelyn Arellano (Redwood HS) scoring her first of two goals in the 47th minute off another assist from Escobar. Arellano added a second goal in the 75th minute, unassisted, bringing her total for the game to two. 

Jimena Rivera (Golden West HS) capped off the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 79th minute to complete the 6-2 victory. "Our offense was relentless today, and it was great to see so many different players get involved in the attack," Morris added. "We showed resilience in the second half after they closed the gap, and that was key to finishing the game strong." 

The Giants' defense held firm in the second half, limiting Lemoore's chances and preventing them from scoring again. Goalkeepers Madison Lujan (Hanford HS) and Haylie Brasil combined for the win, with Brasil making three key saves during her 78 minutes of play. 

The victory marks Sequoias' second conference win, pushing their record to 4-3-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.  

Up Next 

The Giants will continue conference play this Friday as they travel to Taft with a start time of 12:30 p.m. They will return home on Tuesday, October 1 when they host Madera College at 12:00 p.m. It will be a doubleheader as the Men's will host Bakersfield College at 2 p.m.