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The Columbus varsity lady soccer team had a successful trip to Yoakum after picking up three wins throughout the tournament while fighting through some adversity in each of the games. Even down a few players and needing a few players to step into new positions, the Lady Cards were able to hold on for clutch wins after notching crucial goals. Columbus found opportunities in front of goal with regularity despite not being able to finish all their chances. They finished the tournament 3-1-1 with five total goals which helped them take fifth place in the overall standings.
Vs St. Joseph, W, 2-1
The Lady Cards started their tournament with a strong win against St. Joseph. Leading scorer Karina Rubio showed her value throughout this game. She picked up two goals, with one coming in each half of play. The team held on with some strong defense to support her scoring efforts, and Columbus got out to a good start to the tournament despite conceding a goal.
Vs Calhoun, T, 0-0
Immediately following their win in the tourney opener, the Lady Cards returned to the field for a back-to-back matchup with Calhoun. What followed was a cagey game in which neither team could truly break down the other’s defense. Columbus created three shots on goal but could not convert on any of their shot attempts as they finished their second scoreless game of the season.
Lexi Ybarra had the standout performance in this game. She saved four shots by Calhoun to finish with her first clean sheet of the year.
Vs Palacios, L, 0-1
The next day of competition started with some difficulties for the Lady Cards. They once again struggled to convert on some of their shot attempts as they were held scoreless for the second game in a row. Much of this game was evenly matched between the two sides. Columbus even took some advantages and played their way into four shots on goal as well as a penalty kick try. Unfortunately for the Lady Cards, each of those attempts ended with saves or misses. The game stayed locked at 0-0 until a Palacios player knocked a shot into the back of the net with just six minutes remaining in the game. The Lady Cards could not recover from conceding that goal and fell to their first and only loss of the tournament.
Vs Yoakum, W, 2-0
Once again playing directly after their first game of the day, the Lady Cards returned with much better results on offense against the tournament hosts. They also created results on the defensive end, finishing with their second clean sheet of the tourney. This clean sheet had many of the same elements that their previous shutout win included: strong defensive play and outstanding effort from Lexi Ybarra. Ybarra finished with 5 total saves including a crucial save with just seconds remaining in the first half to keep the game level at 0-0.
The second half is when the offense took the reins for the team. Scarlett McClelland knocked in the game’s first goal midway through the second half to give Columbus the lead. Later in the game with six minutes remaining, Riley Turner launched a shot that should already be in the running for the season’s best goal as she fired off a 40-yard free kick that rested safely in the back of the net.
Vs St. Joseph, W, 1-1 (3-0) The Lady Cards final match of the tournament was a rematch against the team they opened the tourney against. There were a few things different in this game however as two starters were replaced by their fellow teammates due to injury as well as the penalty kick shootout to decide placement following regulation. The players stepping up were stepping into positions they had not played before entering the game. Despite that added adversity, the Lady Cards still managed to hold their opponents scoreless until there were less than 20 minutes remaining. St. Joseph scored at the 15-minute mark to put pressure on Columbus, but Karina Rubio scored a clutch goal with less than a minute in the game to tie it and send it to penalties.
Columbus did not have many difficulties during the penalty shootout as they executed each stage well. Three shooters nailed their attempts, and goalkeeper Lexi Ybarra prevented each of St. Joseph’s penalty takers from scoring. The game ended on a save from Ybarra after she had accumulated five more saves during regulation.
