Injury-plagued Jags drop pair in SCL

The Sonoma County League has proven to be a tough road for the
two-time defending champion Lady Jaguars in the first couple of
weeks of play, as the team tries to battle through injuries to key
players.
The Lady Jags fell to 1-3-1 overall and 0-2-1 in league play
last week after dropping SCL games to Casa Grande, 4-3 and
Petaluma, 2-0. Further complicating matters have been the recent
injuries to veteran starters, which include senior forward Kimmy
Carroll (sprained ankle) and sophomore defender Jennifer Conners
(sprained knee). In addition, the team has lost Hilary Barnes
(concussion), Melissa Plinski and Alyssa Burgo to other injuries
this season.
³Losing all of these players to injury has meant that we have as
many as six freshmen in the starting lineup,² said Windsor coach
Juan Orozco. ³Technically and skill wise, we¹re fine, but our
younger players may be lacking the mental toughness right now. The
result is that we¹re not playing aggressive soccer and winning
balls in the air.²
A case in point came last week against Casa Grande, when the
Jags gave up three goals off of long throw-ins. The teams battled
into overtime tied at two-apiece and played through a scoreless
first overtime period, before Casa Grande scored twice in the final
10-minute overtime frame to post a 4-3 win. Credit Haley Palmer,
Kimmy Carroll and Carly Fortunato with goals for Windsor.
On Friday at Petaluma, Carroll went down in the first minute of
play, joining Conners and Barnes on the injury list, as the Lady
Trojans exploited the young Windsor lineup. Petaluma eventually won
the game 2-0.
³That may have been the worst game we¹ve played in three or four
years,² noted Orozco.
The Lady Jags travel to El Molino on Friday, Sept. 29 in a 4
p.m. clash, followed by a road clash at Analy next Wednesday, Oct.
4 at 7 p.m.