BRENTWOOD — Heritage sophomore Sabrina Rogers knows she won’t get many opportunities to score, that’s why she made the best of her shot in the second half of Tuesday night’s game versus Liberty.
Down by a goal, Rogers had her first crack of the net, however the ball went about 10-yards wide. But she made her second one count. Midway through the second half, Rogers nailed a nasty left-foot shot out of the reach of Liberty goalkeeper Kaelyn Adams to tie the game 1-1, which ended up as the final score.
“I was shocked it went in,” said Rogers. “It was a team effort to get the win. It was amazing. We need to relax and play our game.”
The score remained that way for the rest of the game, setting up the perfect sequel between these two crosstown rivals.
It wasn’t the victory the Patriots were looking for, but its a result the team was excited get. Especially considering heading into this game, Liberty dominated the series in the past five years between these two with a record of 9-1-1.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” said Heritage head coach Gary LaFLeur. “Our resiliency and competitiveness showed in this game. We proved ourselves very worthy for this season.”
If you didn’t know you were at a rivalry game, you would have felt it from the opening whistle. With both teams coming out aggressive, the defenses really showed out in the first half. Gaby Colmenares locked down Liberty’s line, clearing some scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Heritage adapted to its new defense, with senior Sarah Smith moving over wide, while Madison Reid settled in at center back next to Jayden Sanders.
The first goal of the game didn’t come until the last two minutes of the first half, with sophomore Madison Del Prado blasting a shot to give Liberty the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
"My mindset was just like any other games,” said Del Prado. “I come in focus and ready to go no matter what opponent we’re facing and just to give it my all.”
Heritage goalkeeper Tory Morfin rose to the occasion for Heritage before Rogers’ game-tying goal, reeling in a pair of huge saves to deny Liberty from extending its lead.
Around the BVAL
Jocelyn Torres scored all three goals in Pittsburg’s 3-0 win over Antioch.
Deer Valley and Freedom girls tied at one.
Heritage boys soccer dominated crosstown Liberty 7-1, evening the Patriots' BVAL record at 1-1-1.
Pittsburg and Antioch tied in the East County Clasico, leaving the two teams tied for first place in the league at 2-0-1 each. Junior Picon’s goal in the second half tied up the game.
Deer Valley surprised Freedom by tying the Falcons 1-1, despite the fact that the Wolverines have just one win all year.
