Angels Pick Up Two Wins On Day Four

The morning was our first that wasn't rushed. Though there wasn't a sleep in, breakfast was casual at our hotel and we took a few extra minutes to ready ourselves for Huntington Beach. We checked out the pier, the beach and the main shopping street. It was beautiful and, we believe, enjoyed by all.

After lunch, we cleaned up and drove all of 5 minutes to our host field at Huntington Beach High School. Their coach had been instrumental in this tour coming together and it was wonderful to meet her in person. Their team were welcoming and so friendly. We are very excited to join them to cheer on their high school football team tomorrow night for their home opener!

LFA 3 - 0 Huntington Beach
When the game got going, the flow of the first quarter of hockey was a bit disjointed. We continue to struggle with the field turf that is the primary surface down here. Notwithstanding the challenges the turf presents, there were moments of really lovely hockey as we worked the all in and out up the field. We had numerous entries into their D and a handful of short corners. Claire had a rocket of shot go wide, just out of Aynslie's reach on the tip. Amy had a lovely flick batted away by their keeper. Mattea pounced on a loose ball, only to have her attempt saved. We just couldn't seem to piece together the touches all the way up the field.

Whereas we relied on the counter attack yesterday against Canyon Hills, it was us that had to be aware of Huntington Beach's counter attack, which had some teeth. Kaelen, as ever, is a rock in goal but there weren't nearly as many scrambles at the back as Bea kept control at centre back. Our wide sides were running through both D and midfield as we tried to pace ourselves for the double game and were really effective at getting the ball forward. Still, it was the third quarter before we finally broke through. On a great build from the midfield and bullet of a pass into the D, Addie pounced on a loose ball, taking it left around the keeper and deftly touched it into the net at the sharpest of angles. 

With the goal, it was like a pressure had been released and we absolutely surged forward. Sienna had her scoring touch today and got the next two goals for us and by the fourth quarter we were really rolling. It was also brilliant to see Michaela play some really key minutes in the middle of the pitch, where she looked confident and, quite simply, played her best hockey of the tour. The game wrapped up 3-0 and we had a few moments to share with HB. The girls are genuinely excited to see them again tomorrow socially.

LFA 2 - 0 Marina High School
With just 15 minutes between games, our resiliency was once again tested and, once again, the girls rose to the challenge. As has been the case all tour, different players stepped up and offered us new looks. We successfully ran our youngest Angels, Eva and Michaela, in the middle of the pitch for an extended time to give some of senior central midfielders a rest. Jess had a monster game on the wide-side of the pitch, getting open and driving our game forward. AnnYee stepped into the midfield and gave us a whole new look down the wide side. Bea played all over the pitch, as did Claire. Greycen did some fantastic work corralling probing passes and getting them back to our joining midfield. Mattea's positionally perfect hockey made us dangerous. Aynslie had one of her best games in an LFA uniform, finding the endline and putting pass after pass across the face of goal. The Marina goalie was sensational. Save after save after save. The coaches began to wonder if all the attack might not matter in a game two of a back to back and facing a hot goalie and the determined resolve of a Marina team that had the talent to surge forward at any moment.

In the end, we had to lean on Sienna again. A scrappy first goal on a rebound gave us a hard earned lead while her second goal on a penalty corner slip play was simply a beautiful shot, perfectly placed. For those counting, that'd be four goals for Sienna on Thursday as we took both games on the back of her offence.

With a little more time, the girls took some time to socialize with Marina who, yet again, were so gracious. They'd made loot bags for all of our girls! We let the girls sit down and chat, right in the middle of the field for a good long while after the final whistle. It was a great touring moment.

Packing up it was all beach sunsets and California beach dinner. A great way to end a great day... except it wasn't the end... we also snuck in a few team games to make sure everyone was properly tired before getting a good night sleep.