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Printer-friendly format Email this article Kate Berrini and the 'Eaters face UNLV August 24th in their 2008 home opener

Scott Juniper Discusses Final Two Spring Matches

Head coach Scott Juniper talks about final spring matches

May 2, 2008

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's soccer head coach Scott Junpier discusses his teams final two matches of the spring season.

"On Saturday, April 19th we traveled to UC Riverside to play UNLV.  We were pleased with our first half performance in which we dominated possession for long periods and stretched the game well from touchline to touchline.  This was largely orchestrated by a very young midfield comprised of Freshmen Alyssa Humphrey, Milana Shabestari and Raylean Robles alongside Sophomore Kate Berrini.  A new forward partnership of Tanya Taylor and Kellie Murphy started well with Kellie doing a great job of keeping the ball for us through the middle third.  Tanya always looked threatening higher up the field and as the game progressed they were playing a lot closer in terms of their movement and timing. We were unlucky to finish the half 1-0 down but we felt that if we could improve in a couple of areas we had a good opportunity to get back into the game."

"The second half did not go to plan!  We continued to move the ball well but seemed unable to find the final pass or the final touch to really threaten in dangerous areas.  All credit to UNLV who stayed very organized and battled well.  While we felt we continued to play well we are going to need to find another gear if we are going to compete with UNLV on August 24 in our home opener in the Fall of 2008."

"For our final spring game of 2008 we faced WPSL team Ajax.  Ajax are one of the top women's teams in California and we were expecting a tough game.  We started well but we made too many mistakes with our defensive shape and the pace of the Ajax forwards exposed us.  They created a handful of chances and had it not been for a couple of good stops by Junior goalkeeper Erin Henry the game could have been over at half time.  We reviewed our mistakes at half-time and the second half was a much better display.  We prevented Ajax from creating too many real opportunities (outside of a PK!) and limited their attempts on goal to largely longer range shots.  The final result was a 3-0 loss but we can once again take some positives from the game.  Remembering that we were a young team playing against players with esteemed college careers behind them we must remain focused on the three D's - development, development, development.  If we can continue to develop as individuals and as a team every day, in time the wins will take care of themselves."

"We are very proud of our team so far in 2008 and are excited for the challenges ahead in the Fall."