After a short night of rest, it was time the next morning to play our second game in 12 hours. This time the opponent was University of California, Santa Barbara. The girls seemed exhausted already, but we had to find a way to push through this game.
As the first whistle was blown, the game was evenly matched. We and Santa Barbara both were able to have some successful attacks, however no goals were scored. After half-time, we began to show signs of sluggishness. The fatigue of the overnight trip, the lack of sleep, and the 90 game only a few hours the night before was wearing on the girls and me. UCSB began passing around us, while we futilely chased. The Lobos lost our connection on the field; communication dropped off and we relied solely on individuals to survive. This sort of play is not sustainable without some consequence, and the consequence was a shot on goal for The Guachos, and a goals against for the Lobos. Coach Kit Vela made some changes—substitutions, and positional changes, which only resulted in another goal for Santa Barbara. Finally, with nine young freshmen on the field, a third and final goal was scored. Our fate was sealed with the final whistle, but the worst was yet to come.
As if losing 3-0 was not a harsh enough lesson for the team, we were reprimanded for 40 minutes post-game about our lack of effort and fitness. However, I do not think that this game was the result of a deficiency of either. I believe that the travel schedule had taken a toll on the girls, and we were starving for practical coaching which addressed our lack of shape as a team.
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