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Ventura County sends Force to fourth consecutive draw
Lisa Kosena, right, and Natalie Martineau go shoulder to shoulder for possession of the ball in the first half Wednesday in Loveland. (photo by Tom Auclair/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
Nikki Marshall scored a first-half goal as the Colorado Force tied its fourth consecutive game, a 1-1 draw against Ventura County on Wednesday at the Loveland Sports Park.
Marshall swatted home a loose ball in the 34th minute off a Cayla Deacon free kick. A Fusion defender got her head on Deacon’s kick first, but Ventura’s three-player back line let the ball bounce inside its penalty box. It fell favorably for Marshall, who netted her first goal of the 2009 W-League season.
“It was just a situation of being in the right place at the right time. I was just there, and I shot it,” Marshall said. “It’s interesting to play against a three-back. Usually we see a team that plays four in the back, so that was kind of different for us. I think we liked playing against that just because it’s one less defender.”
Marshall almost had two goals in the match. Early in the first half, she found herself on the right side of the Fusion penalty area with few passing options. Almost as a second thought, Marshall decided to have a crack at goal. Ventura County goalkeeper Kay Hawke just watched the shot skip past on the wet turf, thinking it was sailing wide. The ball, though, surprised everyone by hitting the inside of the far post and bouncing back across the goal mouth, left to right, before the defense cleared it.
But the Force had to settle for a draw. Ventura County’s Randi Johns scored from a sharp angle in the 73rd minute to tie the score.
Ventura lost both games against Colorado last year and entered the game with a 1-1-1 record. Marshall said Wednesday’s match was one the Force wanted to win.
“We’re coming off three ties, you know. We want to win, and a tie is frustrating, almost as frustrating as a loss would be,” she said. “There’s a point where you’ve got to get it done. I would say nearly all these games we should’ve won, and we just didn’t finish it. A tie’s not a win, and we want wins.”
Shay Powell, a substitute who injected the Force offense with an instant jolt in the second half, had two shots, including one that forced Hawke into diving stop in the 86th minute. Powell said her teammates had their sights set on a victory on Wednesday.
“Everyone’s trying all over the place,” Powell said. “We wanted that win. This next weekend, we’ve got to get it done.”
The Force, 0-1-4, hosts Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
VISITOR FROM COLORADO: Loretta Nixon, a four-year starter at Heritage High School who now plays for Oregon State, started at left back for the Fusion and played the full 90.
SO WHY DOES VENTURA COUNTY HAVE AN ENGLISH GOALKEEPER? Because the team owner also is from England and knew the W-League schedule would not conflict with Hawke’s play for the Arsenal women’s club or the English national team. Hawke recorded four saves on Wednesday, and her Force counterpart, Kara Linder, had three for Colorado.
SO WHY DOES VENTURA COUNTY HAVE TWO BRAZILIANS ON THE TEAM? According to the Fusion coaching staff, Paula Pires and Fabiane Nascimento have a goal of playing in Women’s Professional Soccer. Ventura County has a good working relationship with the Los Angels Sol, and the two Brazilians hope to use those connections to break into the top league eventually.
WOMAN OF THE MATCH: The Force chose Sally Cole, who had another strong game on defense. I would give consideration to Marshall, who converted one of two good scoring chances in the first half and had some nice runs throughout the game, and Powell.
MORE MASCOTS THAN A RAPIDS GAME: Chick-fil-A had five cow mascots at Wednesday’s game, and the Force, naturally, had Lucky. Cam the Ram, from Colorado State University, was there, as was Chipper from Chipper’s Lanes bowling alley.
THE MAN IN BLACK (WELL, YELLOW, ACTUALLY): Referee Ben Chouaf called a fine game. There were instances during play where an official with a shorter fuse would’ve pulled the yellow card from his pocket. But Chouaf was patient and more willing to caution than penalize. Often the players he spoke to would be smiling when he finished, a rare talent indeed.
WEATHER DELAY: The game started at 8 p.m., one hour later than scheduled, because of lightning.
FORCE STARTERS: Kara Linder, Zoe Avner, Sally Cole, Estelle Johnson, Mo Smunt, Cayla Deacon, Lisa Kosena, Jestina Orlando, Monica Dolinsky, Nikki Marshall, Molly Thomas.
FUSION STARTERS: Kay Hawke, Loretta Nixon, Fabiane Nascimento, Colleen Gibson, Paula Pires, Melissa Peck, Natalie Martineau, Randi Johns, Heloisa Oliveira, Heather Vandevanter, Cat Walker.
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