In a cross-town junior college rivalry matchup, the Clovis Crush and Fresno City Rams pushed themselves to the limit with the Central Valley Conference championship on the line.
Fresno City emerged victorious in the end, defeating the Clovis Community women’s soccer team in the final game of the regular season, 2-0, on November 12th.
The game started off strong for both teams. Fresno City tried playing a physical game, but Clovis Community matched them stride for stride. Both teams also kept the tempo high as well.
In the seventh minute, Rams midfielder Hannah Martin broke away to score an unassisted goal. This gave the Rams an early 1-0 lead in the first half but did not deter the Crush as they tried relentlessly to tie the game. However, Fresno City’s defense stopped them at every attempt until the first half ended.
The second half was just as physical as the first. Clovis Community came out with the intent of making sure the game didn’t slip away. Fresno City looked to put the game out of reach.
In the 62nd minute, Martin made another big play. This time, she assisted fellow midfielder Mariah Zapata, who scored the next goal to give Fresno City a 2-0 lead.
The Crush totaled seven shot attempts to the Rams’ two, but none found the back of the net.
Although it wasn’t how Clovis Community wanted to end the regular season, they fought tooth and nail to the end.
Clovis Community head Coach Orlando Ramirez admired the fight his players showed until the final whistle blew.
“I think what was on the line, a conference championship, I think that’s something for us as a young program we’re looking to establish ourselves as a quality program in the area,” Ramirez said. “These moments, yeah I wish we would’ve won the game, but I think the fight the girls gave is something that in games like this, we’ll learn, grow, and continue forward.”
The Clovis Crush will wait and see who their next opponent will be as the playoffs are just around the corner.