Girls’ soccer fell to rival Miramonte, 2-0 on Friday, January 6, losing 2 players to injury in the process.

“Miramonte was a lot more aggressive on the ball,” said goalkeeper Haleigh Goett. “The player that kicked me in the face didn’t get a card. It’s always a fight with Miramonte.”

While Goett received stitches for her injury and should have a quick recovery, forward Annie Midthun, who tore her ACL and meniscus when she collided with another player, will not return this year. “I’m looking at surgery and physical therapy,” said Midthun.  She does not expect to be back until next year.

During the game Campolindo was unable to counter the Miramonte offensive attach. Both the rivalry and the Mat’s style of play were factors in the physical play. “Emotions were on a higher scale,” said Midthun.

“People were flying in the air,” added Goett. “Miramonte was playing unnecessarily aggressive.”

Earlier in the season, the Cougars had no trouble scoring against opponents, with a 5-0 win against Antioch just a few days prior.  Against Miramonte, the Campolindo offense could not get on track.

“They knew how to defend against us,” said Goett. “We need to adjust.”

“Miramonte played tight defense,” admitted Midthun. “It’s just that we didn’t get the ball up to our forwards.”

The Cougars have seen mixed success this season, standing currently at 5 wins and 6 losses. Players attributed their record to missing many veteran players and a need to cooperate better with each other.

“We have a young team and we’re looking to rebuild,” said Goett. “We’ve played well separately, we just need to learn how to work together.”

“It is significantly disappointing,” said center midfielder Molly Ikeya. “We’ve had an up-and-down season.”

Despite their perceived setbacks, the team expressed a hope that they would be able to beat the Matadors the next time they played. “We’re looking to replay them,” said Ikeya.