CWAC co-leader Ellensburg rolls over Quincy
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldQuincy goalkeeper Zayuri Arizmendi lays out for this shot to the far post on a penalty kick during Saturday's CWAC match with Ellensburg.
QUINCY — Central Washington Athletic Conference co-leader Ellensburg has a showdown with co-leader Selah on Tuesday, so the Bulldogs (8-3, 7-0 CWAC) could ill afford to take their foot off the gas with their match with Quincy on Saturday.
Ellensburg scored four second-half goals to put Quincy away 6-0 in a game between two programs on opposite ends of the CWAC standings. The Jacks (0-10-1, 0-7 CWAC) didn’t take a shot on goal, but goalkeeper Zayuri Arizmendi did make six saves against a team that pelted her with 17 shots on goal.
The young Jacks, who have just two seniors on the team, had some nice give-and-go passes at the midfield in the second half, but it didn’t hold up against a team that is unbeaten in conference play.
“I felt like we had a really solid first half, giving up just the two goals,” Quincy coach Eric Nelson said. “But Ellensburg turned up the pressure a little bit in the second half. They’re on top of the CWAC for a reason and they know when to jump on a team.
“With this game, we have to focus on the positives in the first half. It was one our better passing halves and the passes were really accurate. We created space and it stifled their attack there for a minute.”
Ellensburg’s Blake Johnson put two in the net in the first 40 minutes. Hayley Cantu had a couple more in the second half. Diana Lopez-Kirkham, one of 10 seniors on the Ellensburg team, buried one to make it a 5-nil match with eight minutes remaining.
If it weren’t for bad luck, the Jacks wouldn’t have any luck at all. Samantha Magdlin put a ball over the top of a sliding Arizmendi, who came out to challenge. The shot hit the crossbar and bounced directly back into the field of play in front of the net. Magdlin gathered the ball with some nifty footwork and hammered it home for the final score of the match.
“I feel like we have a winning attitude even though our record doesn’t show it,” Arizmendi said. “If you hang your head or have a negative attitude, that’s like quitting to me. So we’re keeping our heads held high and playing with pride.”
Quincy plays at Grandview on Tuesday and finishes up the season at Wapato on Thursday.
Score by halves
Ellensburg 2 4 - 6
Quincy 0 0 - 0
Scoring summary
E - Blake Johnson
E - Blake Johnson
E - Hayley Cantu
E - Hayley Cantu
E - Diana Lopez-Kirkham
E - Samantha Magdlin