In Thursday night’s season and home opener, the Islanders took an important step in the right direction in what they hope will be a rebound season, as they took down Sweetwater High School by the final of 4-2, moving to 1-0 on the year.
“[I] think this game was a huge confidence booster,” said Islanders Head Coach Jeff Roe. “Last year was last year, and this year is a new focus. So for us to come out and get the result that we did proves that this is a totally different group and totally different mindset.”
The Islanders’ attack against Sweetwater had a notably different feel and sense of urgency. Coronado looked to apply pressure early and was rewarded with an opening goal from Noah Santos and a late first-half goal in the 39th minute by Aiden Treishman, giving the Islanders a 2-0 lead at the half.
Where the Islanders’ offense truly excelled, though, was on set pieces, with three of their four goals on the night coming off set pieces. It was an area that Roe wanted to see his team improve on this season, and 80 minutes into the year… the early results are promising.
“We’ve worked on set pieces a lot,” noted Roe. “So the fact that we were able to net three of our four goals off set pieces is an encouraging sign for us. Our offense did a great job of putting pressure on and not panicking. They found their options and took what the defense was giving them; they never forced a situation.”
Out of the break, Sweetwater would draw things a bit tighter, thanks to an early second-half goal. Fortunately, the Islanders’ offense would match punch back promptly as Treishman would lock in a brace with a goal in the 53rd minute off a low-runner corner kick from Beckett Herr.
While Herr would not score in the win, the man holding down the eight position would log two assists in the win.
“Beckett’s control of the midfield at the eight and Aiden controlling the attacking midfield from the ten; they both know who to distribute to when to distribute,” said Roe.
Now, the second half wasn’t perfect, as after shutting out Sweetwater in the first half, the Coronado defense did allow two second-half goals. That said, one of the goals would come off a free kick that was only awarded because officials, rather inexplicably, called a six-second violation of keeper Chris Niebla—a violation that is rarely, if ever, called.
“The six-second call was ridiculous, even more so because it was given without warning,” said Roe. “I think for our defense, it’s more about cleaning up the little things and just being more prepared.”
The 1-0 Islanders will return to action when the ca... Click here to read full article
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