GIRLS SOCCER: Sequoia Manages Tie at Mills

The Score: Sequoia 0, Mills 0.

The Star: Mills High sophomore midfielder Olivia Mullins played a great game in her team’s tie with visiting Sequoia. Mullins posed threats with dangerous through balls and her ability to win the ball at midfield in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division game.

The Turning Point: At the beginning of the second half, Sequoia found itself overwhelmed by the Vikings’ attack, anchored by sophomore midfielder Olivia Mullins. Mills held the Cherokees without a shot on goal in the second half.

The Quote: “We knew Mills is a tough team. Two years ago when we won the league, they were the only team that beat us.” -- Sequoia coach Melissa Schmidt, on her team’s expectation prior to playing the Vikings.

What’s Next? Sequoia will host Capuchino on Thursday at 4 p.m. in a PAL Ocean game.

The Bottom Line: The Cherokees defended well against a Mills team that was not afraid to create chances in the midfield and let its forwards loose chasing after long balls. Sequoia held together well and pulled off a tie, which in itself is a huge credit to the Cherokees’ defense.

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After an even first half, the Sequoia High girls soccer team was forced to throw players back and defend against a dangerous Mills team, pulling off a 0-0 tie in its third match of the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division season.

Sequoia (1-2-4, 1-1-1 PAL Ocean) went toe-to-toe with the host Vikings for the first 30 minutes on Tuesday afternoon. But the Cherokees didn’t get a single shot at goal in the second half, after being overwhelmed on the defensive side of the ball.

Mills (2-2-4, 1-0-2) was coming off a 5-0 win against Half Moon Bay, but faced a better defensive team in the Cherokees.

Sequoia struggled to form a consistent attack in the first half, partly due to Mills’ faster, stronger defenders who cleared the ball away efficiently in goal-threat situations.

The Cherokees’ main problem was in the midfield, as Mills’ center-attacking midfielder Olivia Mullins outran and outmuscled the smaller Sequoia midfielders.

“(Mullins) gave us trouble. She was always out there and had the ball on her feet a lot,” said sophomore left midfielder Shelby Escobedo.

Mills threatened with long through balls and lobs from the sideline, but its hopes were sent away by Sequoia’s sweepers.

“I think they played really good through balls and were relentless, but our back line did a good job on staying strong,” said junior captain Paige Gillooley.

Finishing with a tie was the best result for a Sequoia team whose offense was blanketed in the second half. The Cherokees’ defense managed to steer away Mills’ potent front line of Jazmin Cazares and Kendra McIntyre, which was limited to shots outside of the box.

Next, Sequoia will host Capuchino on Thursday at 4 p.m.

“We’re gonna work on finishing against Cap since that has been our problem the last couple of games,” said Sequoia coach Melissa Schmidt. “Cap is always strong, so we’re gonna have to work hard and play good if we wanna beat them.”

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Sequoia 0, Mills 0

At Mills

Records: Sequoia: 1-2-4, 1-1-1 PAL Ocean. Mills: 2-2-4, 1-0-2.