.gif)
Columbus’ lady soccer team has been finding a lot of success in the early season as they battled through another tournament last week. At nearby Rice High School, the Lady Cards fought through six close matches in consecutive days. Like the rest of the season, Columbus relied on their strong defense and top scorers to claim four wins and two ties on the way to the tournament gold medal.
Vs Brazosport, T, 1-1
The Lady Cards got their tournament run started with somewhat of a disappointing result within the context of the game. Columbus led for a vast majority of their opener, scoring on a goal by leading scorer Karina Rubio in the 30 th minute on an assist from Leydi Camacho. They held Brazosport scoreless until there were just three minutes left in regular time when they found the equalizing goal. Columbus had little to no time left to make a response, and they settled for the tie to get the tournament started.
Vs Hallettsville, W, 3-0
Columbus had a much better outing during the second match of the first day. The goals came much more frequently, and the defense stayed just as stout as they have been all season. The back line of the defense in particular had a strong game as Rebecca Del Pozo, Riley Turner, Maria Garcia and Yecenia Rosales contributed to the shutout. Goalkeeper Lexi Ybarra was called upon only twice as Hallettsville struggled to get shots on target. Karina Rubio added another goal to her season total, while Scarlett McClelland followed with a big goal herself. Turner came up from the back line to knock in a long free kick for a goal from 30 yards out.
Vs Hempstead, T, 0-0
The Lady Cards woke up early to get the second day of competition started. In what was by far their coldest game of the tournament, Columbus still found ways to create chances in front of the goal. They ripped 11 shots towards their opponents’ goal but could not find a way into the back of the net as they went scoreless for the first time since the Yoakum tournament.
Vs Caldwell, W, 4-1
Columbus had their best scoring game of the tourney in the quarterfinals against Caldwell. The Lady Cards created chances often and were able to take advantage of the opportunities. No one benefitted more than Karina Rubio, who slotted home two goals as part of the high-energy offense Columbus took to the field. Scarlett McClelland took a goal within the offense as well, and Rebecca Del Pozo scored on a 25-yard free kick to extend the lead. The defense was also stout as they conceded just one goal due to a penalty kick after a foul in the penalty box around the goal.
Vs Brazosport, W, 0-0 (5-4 penalties)
The tournament’s semifinal game was one of the tightest games of the tourney for the Lady Cards. The teams were just as evenly matched in their rematch as they once again finished the game with a tie. Columbus nearly found a goal with just 30 seconds left in the match, but the shot did not find the net as regular time came to an end. To decide which team moved on to the semifinals, the game went into the penalty kick shootout at the end of regulation. After a miss on the first shot of PKs, Leydi Camacho, Rebecca Del Pozzo, Karina Rubio, Lili Alvarez all made consecutive shots to give Columbus a chance to win. Lexi Ybarra made a huge save on Brazosport’s sixth kick of the shootout which set up an opportunity for Riley Turner to finish them off with the game-winning, final penalty.
Vs Smithville, 1-0, W
Karina Rubio wasted no time in helping the Lady Cards claim the championship during the final game of the tournament. She scored the game’s lone goal in the first four minutes of the match, and she almost doubled her total near the end of the first half. After her crucial goal to take the lead, she left the rest up to the Lady Cards’ stifling defense. The defense had another strong game as Rebecca Del Pozo, Riley Turner, Maria Garcia, Lisbeth Gonzalez and Yecenia Rosales all had strong games defensively. They supported another strong performance by their goalie, Lexi Ybarra, who finished with seven saves and another clean sheet victory.
