East Union will take the goals any way it can get them, at this point.
Gabriela Heredia put away the lone tally early in the second half Wednesday, as the Lancers earned a much-needed 1-0 Valley Oak League win over visiting Manteca.
She followed up on Addyson Soulier’s well-struck direct kick that swerved around the defensive wall and got deflected by goalie Keira McCulley. Heredia was the first to react to the free ball, as she poked it in front short range.
“It seems like we haven’t been fortunate with some of our opportunities this year. The breaks have been kind of going against us,” EU coach Jason Silva said. “So for the ball to bounce to bounce to one of our players is big, because we don’t usually get those.
“Gabby did a good job of following up, and that may be one of the little details we lack sometimes. We don’t recognize that the ball could bounce a certain way and just get caught standing there, but for Gabby to follow that shot was huge.”
The Lancers (2-2-1 VOL, 8-7-2 overall) were hexed again on goal-scoring chances, two of which were thwarted by officials decisions. They had a goal wiped away by a disputed offside call, and later had a case for a penalty kick when forward Emily Pires was inadvertently taken down by McCulley (five saves) on a scramble for the loose ball in the box.
East Union still came away with the deserved outcome, and one that was sorely needed after dropping its last two at Sierra and at Central Catholic.
“We talked about how we’re already in playoff mode,” Silva said. “Told them you have to win to to stay in this race, and it’s going to be a tight race all the way to the end. Teams are splitting with each other, so every point counts.”
Both sides were missing key players. The Lancers fared well without senior forward/midfielder Gabrielle McIntosh and senior defender Journi Dixon, who are out with injuries.
Leading scorer Kailee Jackson was unavailable for Manteca (2-3-0, 6-8-3), and her absence had a great effect on how the Buffaloes played. They’re already without talented forward Joanna Roa (knee) for the season.
“Without her in the game, we are a different team,” Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg said. “We had to make some adjustments, but we definitely weren’t as effective up top as we had been these last handful of games. We did create a couple opportunities, but in games like this, you have to capitalize on the opportunities you have and we didn’t.”
Without its top chance creators, Manteca took on a defensive posture as its rebuilt back line tried to fend off the Lancers’ fleet-of-foot forwards.
The game changed after East Union scored in the 48th minute. Freshman Emily Pires drew a foul from a dangerous tackle just outside the penalty box, setting up Soulier’s free kick.
Manteca’s defense became more vulnerable with more numbers committed to the attack. Sierriah Garcia had the Buffaloes’ best look of the second half as she broke away on the right wing, but her shot was parried away by freshman keeper Kadence Rossi (three saves).
“Kadence made some big saves,” Silva said. “It’s been huge having having a true goalkeeper this year, and she is making a big difference for us.”
East Union ends the first half of league play Friday at Oakdale, while Manteca hosts Central Catholic.
