On Tuesday, March 9, the Madill Wildcats hosted and lost to the Durant Lions. Head Coach Jose Cortes said that even though they lost, they played well.
“The girls played a good game,” Cortes said. “We made some mistakes that Durant took advantage of, and when you play a team like Durant, you will pay dearly for those mistakes.”
Cielo Gomez, Mercedes Stumblingbear, and Ana Veras each had one shot on the goal. Cortes said they had good set ups but were unable to execute the finishing moves.
“We were able to move the ball and create opportunities on Durant’s side of the pitch but we will not be able to finish with the ball on the back of the net,” said Cortes.
Jimena Guevara had five saves, and Cortes noted that the goalie and defense members are crucial elements.
“Our defense and goalkeeper are the strength of our team. We need to improve on our attacking 3rd of the field to create more quality scoring opportunities,” Cortes said. “We will concentrate on attacking patterns and shooting accuracy the next two weeks before the Chickasha Tournament on March 26th- 27th.” The girls lost 0 to 3.
The boys also played and lost to Durant. Cortes said even though they lost, they played hard.
“The boys fought every minute of last night’s game,” Cortes said. “Even though, our team was without four of its starters, the players that came in their place played their hearts out and did a good job in their absence.”
Diego Ibarra had three shots and Luis Hernandez had two shots on the goal. Rodrigo Villegas had one shot on the goal and scored Madill’s only point. Guillermo Saldivar and Miguel Fajardo each had two saves.
Cortes said that the Lions are a formidable force.
“Durant is a well-coached team that took advantage of some miscues on defense,” Cortes said. “We were able to move the move the ball and create several opportunities on their goal but were unsuccessful until Rodrigo Villegas scored with 9 minutes left in the game.”
“Unfortunately, Durant scored its second goal four minutes later. Our forwards need to play a bigger role in our attack and that is one area we will work on the next two weeks,” Cortes continued. “We will also look into tweaking the formations and personnel to find what better fits our athletes athletic and soccer abilities. No major changes will be made, but we need to look to what will give us a better change to be successful moving forward.”
Madill’s next games will be at the Chickasha tournament on March 26 and 27, 2021.