Hamilton girls soccer edges Corona del Sol on late goal

January 6, 2012 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Hamilton girls soccer coach Mark Eggleston says he is old school. Old school when it comes to allowing freshmen to play a lot on varsity.

But as Eggelston conceded after Hamilton nipped Corona del Sol 2-1 onthe road  Friday night,  he won't shy away when their talent stands out.

Freshman forward Mckaya Brown notched the game-winning goal with 51 seconds left off a rebound that provided the margin of victory. Brown, who played in the Huskies first three games but has been out since with an injury, has been a consisent point scorer when healthy. She assisted on Hamilton's first  goal in the 30th minute that gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead at intermission.

"I fight playing freshmen," Eggleston said. "They really have to prove themselves. We've got some talented freshmen. Tonight I started five of them."

Hamilton improved to 10-2-1 overall and 6-0 in power-point matches. Corona del Sol, playing its second match since school resumed after the holiday break, is now 6-5-2 overall and 2-2 in power-point matches.

Corona stepped up its attack in the second half,at least  getting several more chances than it had in the first half in an attempt to notch the tying goal. Senior forward Jade Martins did just that with a powerful shot from about 25 yards out in the 66th minute that few if any keepers could have stopped.

The match seemed headed for overtime, but Hamilton's last chance at breaking the tie was successful. Freshman Kylie Miniefield cranked up a bullet  at the top of the box that hit the crossbar. Brown was able to corral the ricochet and nestle it in the right corner of the net in the 80th minute. Miniefield, who has been a standout in the midfield, scored Hamilton's first goal off a nice cross from Brown.

Corona didn't pack it in. The Aztecs penetrated  the boxand flooded it with players. They  thought they  scored as Hamilton keeper Lindy Snyder smothered a shot in heavy traffic. Corona contended Snyder was behind the goal line, but officials ruled she was pushed inside the line by a Corona player. Twenty seconds was added to the clock, but the Aztecs couldn't manage the equalizer.

"It thought we did all we could putting it in the net at the end, but it wsn't to be," Corona del Sol coach Matt Smith said. "We showed we're going to fight. Fight to the end. They have a very good team. We''re a sound defensive team. We have to figure out a way to scratch out wins in the tough matches. Credit them for sticking one in at the end."

The teams get a rematch with one another. That comes soon. On Tuesday, Jan. 10,  at Hamilton.