Big Red Overrun Lady Mules Lax in Second Half

The Lady Mules were beaten handily, 18-6, by the Big Red despite putting up a strong fight in the first half of Wednesday's game.

The team had to travel to Glen Cove High School, although the match was originally scheduled to be a home game for Malverne/East Rockaway. (A few days of rain and foggy conditions that lasted until late in the evening made the field at Malverne High School unsuitable for play.)

Glen Cove jumped in front less than three minutes into the game. Right attack wing Ariana Cavallone (#1) scored the first goal at 22:29 after Malverne/East Rockaway turned the ball over trying to fend off the Big Red offense, which had pressured goalie Rosemary Vargas (#88) from the get-go.

Alex Gerin, who started at the first home position for the Big Red, followed up with another less than a minute later. When the Mules had the ball, they did not get very far past the defense. They were held back to troll around the edge of the eight meter arc, unable to penetrate and forced to take shots from bad angles that missed the net entirely.

“It wasn’t our best game,” said Malverne/East Rockaway’s coach, Nicole Beauford, afterward. “Originally, it was supposed to be a home game, so we weren’t expecting the hour long bus ride. It kind of took us off our game a little bit.”

After going down 2-0, the Lady Mules battled back for a stretch of time, lasting about 10 minutes in the middle of the half. Center and Captain Sydney Johnson, (#41) broke the seal for her team with a goal from a free position after a minor foul in the eight-meter arc.

Glen Cove's Angelica Morra (#16) answered with a goal, directly assisted by the ensuing draw, to make it 3-1. Still, Malverne/East Rockaway was able to push forward and tie the game after back-to-back goals from their captain and third home, Alexa Germany (#20).

“When we’re on and we’re going, our transitions [are] actually pretty good,” Coach Beauford said, explaining that the team’s strengths are defense, passing and moving the ball quickly up the field. “[The movement] is one of the best that I’ve seen in the past few years.”

However, the Mules were unable to keep their strength for much longer after that. The Big Red went on a five-goal scoring spree, carrying over into the second half before Malverne/East Rockaway interjected with a goal from sophomore right defensive wing, Taylor Cussen (#33). They to put shots on goal, but Glen Cove’s goalie Ameila Week (#00) made multiple saves, ending the day with eight altogether. The Big Red continued to dominate the game throughout the second half and ran away with the win.

“It took our kids a good 15-20 minutes to settle in,” said Glen Cove’s coach, Jacqueline Gow. “They started to move the ball. They had more confidence in their footing, I think.”

The Lady Mules, who are now 1-2 in the Conference, do not play again until April 29, when they will travel again to Sewanhaka to contest the undefeated Indians.

“We’ve got a lot of time. We’re just going to work on building on our strengths and strengthening our weaknesses,” said Coach Beauford.