Red Devils drop season finale

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Sports

October 20, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Allen Community College had more to contend with than its opponent on the soccer field Thursday.
The Red Devil women also had to deal with a ferocious west wind that wreaked havoc on the team’s first-half play at home.
Garden City Community College was there to take advantage, scoring twice early in the first half and holding on in a 2-1 win.
The loss ends the 2012 season for the Red Devils at 2-15.
With west winds frequently exceeding 30 mph, kicks into the steady gusts were complicated substantially for Red Devil players in the first half. On multiple occasions kicks into the air were headed back toward the players by the time the ball hit the turf.
As a result, much of the early action came with Garden City on offense and the Red Devils on defense.
The Broncbusters scored in the first five minutes on a penalty kick by Dominique Rodriguez. Garden City’s second tally came minutes later when Katherine Hamric’s blast deflected off the hands of Allen goalkeeper Keelie Arbuckle.
Mother Nature’s cruel hand became evident in the second half as well.
While the wind was still blowing, it lost much of its intensity as the sun settled to the west, eliminating what could have been a substantial offensive advantage for Allen.
The Red Devils scored on a goal by sophomore Marisa Menzo, and peppered the Broncbusters with several shots on goal after that, but could never tie the score.
“That’s why we’ve told our captains if you can ever get the wind advantage, get it early, because you never know when it’s going to go away,” Red Devil head coach Doug Desmarteau said.
While Allen’s season was short on victories, the team’s effort is one worthy of pride, Desmarteau said.
“Obviously we didn’t get the wins we would’ve liked, but the girls never gave up,” he said. “We had a few injuries that set us back during the season, but their effort was unbelievable. They played hard every game. I’m very proud of them.”

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