Merced girls soccer team settles for draw with Pitman

Jetta Saeteurn said she was confused.

The Merced High senior thought she had miscalculated the score when the Pitman defense ran off the field cheering at Thursday’s final whistle.

Saeteurn’s math skills didn’t fail her. The visiting Pride simply was pleased to walk away with a 3-3 draw after being entrenched on its half of the pitch for most of the 80 minutes. The Bears dominated statistically, outshooting Pitman 21-6 and allowing only one shot after the break, but settled for one point.

“It was our game – I’ll put it like that,” said Saeteurn, who finished with a goal and an assist. “We dominated the shots. All they really had was the counter, but they made it count. Once we got the lead, I felt like we were going to pour it on them. They cheered when they ran off the field because they were so happy we didn’t score again.”

It didn’t take long for the action between the Central California Conference’s top two teams to get under way, with Pitman scoring in the second minute.

Pride playmaker Rayana Plancarte won a loose ball near midfield and was given way too much space to attack. She sprinted unmolested down the heart of the field before laying a ball off to Melissa Peral on the wing. Peral buried the game’s first shot to give Pitman (7-5-3, 2-0-2 CCC) a 1-0 lead.

Merced (3-9-1, 3-0-1 CCC) answered seven minutes later when Saeteurn carved up the Pride back line with a through ball to striker Anisa Saechao. The junior got sandwiched by two Pitman defenders but showed off her strength, emerging from the contact with the ball. Saechao took another couple touches and equalized with a shot to the far post.

Just when Merced appeared to take control of the game, the Pride went right back on top in the 24th minute with its same lethal combo. Plancarte played a ball over the top of the Bears’ back line. Peral won the foot race to the ball and managed to hold off her defender while sliding a ball under charging Merced goalkeeper Emma Lopez to make it 2-1.

The Bears bombarded the Pitman net for the rest of the half. Pride goalkeeper Priscilla Estrada made eight saves, half of them excellent, in the opening 40 minutes. Merced’s sustained pressure was finally rewarded in the final seconds of the half.

Jovanna Salazar won a failed clearance by the Pride defense and played a ball back into the sprinting path of Alyssa Centero. The sophomore midfielder one-timed a shot from 30 yards out into the top right corner of the goal to make it 2-2 at intermission.

“The first five minutes and the last five minutes of the half are the most important,” Bears assistant coach Chippy Murillo said. “Getting the goal in the last minute like that gave us all the momentum at halftime.

“We knew we needed to get things reorganized against their counter, but I wasn’t really worried about it. Pitman is definitely dangerous, but our back line is really solid, and I knew they’d get it figured out.”

Merced did figure it out, keeping Pitman in front of it in the second half and allowing only one shot. Unfortunately for the Bears, as it had throughout the game, the Pride made the shot count.

Saeteurn put Merced in front for the first time five minutes into the second half, converting a penalty kick after Saechao was hauled down inside the box.

The Bears kept the pressure on but couldn’t expand the lead. It cost them in the 64th minute when Pitman leveled things for the last time. Hannah Reza won a loose ball and threaded a pass through two defenders to Isabella Shallou- Enes down the left wing. The freshman brought the ball under control and put a left-footed shot into the far post to earn a draw.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 8:18 PM with the headline "Merced girls soccer team settles for draw with Pitman."