GROSSMONT COLLEGE — On a gloomy afternoon in October, the Grossmont Griffins hosted the Cuyamaca Coyotes in what turned out to be a very physical and evenly matched game.

Through the first 25 minutes of the Oct. 15 contest, the ball seemed to stay in the middle portion of the field showing an unbiased game. However, in the 26th minute the Griffins committed a tacky foul that rewarded the Coyotes a free kick.

Annie Garcia, #12, set up the ball about 10 yards out on the left side of the field and delivered a perfect ball into the box. After failure to clear  it, Vanessa Guzman knocked the ball in the back of the net that was floating on the goal line.

The physicality and stubborn defense presented by both teams proved to be efficient as they allowed only one goal in the first half between the two of them.

The Griffins, though, had their share of opportunities when in the 23rd minute Janeth Bahena had an uncontested shot taken at the top of the box.  The opportunity was there to be on target had she taken an extra touch to control it.

In the first half alone, eight corner kicks were taken by the Griffins, but none of them were connected with the goal.

The Griffins came out fighting in the second half and immediately applied the pressure on Cuyamaca after an early attempted shot  connected with the crossbar.

The Coyetes didn’t let that bother them though, when in the 56th minute they extended their lead to 2-0 after a breakdown in the normally strong Griffin Defense. Katherine Rollins was unassisted as she buried a ball that again was floating on the goal line.

The Griffins began to show their frustrations on the field when mis-communicated passes turned into noticeable arguments and the arguments didn’t help the Griffins team workmanship either. The 2-0 lead allowed the Coyotes to out run the Griffins and display much better passing. While the Griffins played catch up nearly the entire game, the Coyotes crowded the box with defenders making it extremely difficult for the Griffins to get a clear accurate shot off. 

Finally with 4 minutes to go, the Griffins were gifted a penalty kick in the box which Ann Schramm executed with confidence and poise, putting  away an untouchable text book goal. This decreased the deficit to 1 goal and the fouls and dirty play began to sky rocket as the game increased in intensity for fans, players and coaches.

Fans on both sides held their breath in nervousness while minutes began to turn into seconds before the end of the game. With 4 seconds left before the final whistle, spectators witnessed Ashley Schramm score the equalizer  to prevent the Griffins from losing.

Cuyamaca is 4-4-1 in conference play while Grossmont is 7-1-1.

Despite the early deficit for the Griffins, they continued to fight and prevent themselves from going down in defeat. The Griffins play another local team when they host San Diego City College next Tuesday at 1pm.

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