It starts in the off-season.
For athletes, COVID might’ve seemed like the stoppage of sports for the average player. Some players took advantage of the extra time off perfecting their crafts for when the season came back around. Junior forward Soriah Banda has kept her streak of two goals in every game this season alive in the 2-0 win over Lockhart.
Banda continues to find holes in the defense after expanding her role from her sophomore season.
“She’s become a smarter soccer player. Her job used to be just to play the ball down the line and send the cross in because she’s got a great leg, but now she’s starting to find the net, and find that movement,” head coach Jason Carnley said. “We’re actually finding her in a different way this year, and it’s gonna benefit us all around. She’s doing great. She’s finding the back of the net and that’s difficult to do, you know, over when she’s not playing it at forward position. Now I have to almost expect it every time you know but I can’t really look. Look at that. But we’re going to keep playing tough.”
In the first half the hosts struggled to take advantage of opportunities ahead of the defense with six offsides penalties. The setbacks left both teams scoreless heading into halftime.
Who else would the Rattlers look for to break a scoring slump other than Banda? The junior couldn’t be successful without her counterpart, senior Isabel Duenez. The pair’s connection was built in the offseason. Both players credit picking up speed and efficiency from playing against the boys varsity team during the lockout with each saying “they’re just really fast.”
Everytime Banda gets the ball in the middle of the field, she makes a play. With 28:50 left in the second half, Duenez led a streaking Banda down the sideline which seems to work as they have scored or assisted in every game. The goal solidified another win for San Marcos at home this season.
“I’m always looking for the assists. I was never really the type to score goals. I want to be the player that leads to it and that’s been my goal so far this season. I’m always looking for my teammates,” Duenez explained. “It’s all about everybody making the play to get to that part of the goal. It goes from defense to me and I look for the gap and opening to find and Soriah is always there at that spot she always sees it and she has a good eye there.”
San Marcos (3-0) continues it’s non-district regular season schedule Friday at 5 p.m. against San Antonio Stevens. With the 2-0 over Lockhart the Rattlers have yet to give up a goal this season and will look to remain locked in for their upcoming opponent.
