Haro, Beltran help Quincy blank Eastmont
Quincy's Katherine Pontarolo-Maag launches a shot toward goal in the second half against Eastmont on Thursday. Photo by Neil Pierson/Columbia Basin Herald.
QUINCY - It doesn't matter who you are - if you're a 2A-sized school, it's always nice to knock off one of the big fish from the 4A ranks.
The Quincy Lady Jackrabbits had that feeling Thursday afternoon when they opened their 2007 season by sending the visiting Eastmont Wildcats packing in a 2-0 victory.
Quincy got outstanding play up front from junior Mari Haro, in the midfield from senior Katherine Pontarolo-Maag, and between the goalposts from junior Celia Beltran to accomplish the task. Head coach Matthew Kimmel liked what he saw from his group of youngsters.
"I graduated 14 seniors last year," Kimmel said. "The team is just naturally younger and that's fine. I have a whole group of girls who work hard and don't whine during practice."
While ball possession and scoring chances found their way to both ends of the field, the Lady Jacks were the only ones to turn those opportunities into goals.
Six minutes into the match, freshman midfielder Jasmine Perez made a nice run down the left sideline. Eastmont goalkeeper Jackie Button swatted aside her shot, but left the rebound and a wide-open net for Pontarolo-Maag, who jumped on the loose ball and made no mistake.
With the Wildcats still searching for the equalizer to start the second half, it was Haro who put them further behind. Eastmont's defense broke down at the midfield stripe, allowing the speedster to cruise in alone on Button and beat her with a hard shot to the far post.
"Every year she seems to be getting faster and faster," Kimmel said of Haro. "It's just nice that she played year-round this year. Her skills improved and now she's scoring goals."
In between those goals, it was an evenly played match. Beltran was forced to step up several times, making her first big save in the 16th minute when Aubriana Russell worked her way past Quincy's left-side defenders. Facing a one-on-one situation, Beltran raced out and made a sliding save.
Thirteen minutes later, Russell had another chance when she broke through the middle of the pitch. Beltran made a reactionary save, barely deflecting the ball with her left hand.
"She's a real fighter in the goal," Kimmel said of Beltran. "She doesn't give up and really is one of my girls with the best desire to win a ball game. She's not a quitter and because of that, she's very aggressive in the goal."
With all things being equal, perhaps the difference in the match was the Lady Jacks' overall team speed.
"I have a number of track sprinters on my team this year," Kimmel said. "It's nice."
Quincy could've added to its lead in the 53rd minute. Haro made another spectacular run, dribbling through several defenders. Her shot rolled through the goalmouth, and Pontarolo-Maag hit the side of the cage with a point-blank shot.
The Wildcats' only other serious threat came in the 59th minute. Quincy backup keeper Cristian Ramon handled the ball outside the penalty area, giving Eastmont a free kick from 18 yards away. But defender Patty Romero's shot was wide right.
Quincy will likely face a tougher test next Tuesday when it hosts rival Ephrata in the Central Washington Athletic Conference opener for both squads.
"As we go to league, I really want to improve upon winning the ball in the air and counterattacking fast," Kimmel said. "What's the point of playing defense if you don't have to?"
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