Despite the dreary weather and a sloppy field, the women’s soccer team (0-8 in the Bay Valley Conference)  found a way to complete a game resulting in a 12-0 blowout loss to Solano Community College Friday.

The young Comet squad struggled to defend against the Falcon offense in the first half while learning to play in a wet environment.

“Solano (10-6 overall and 10-0 in the BVC) used the weather as an advantage and used harder kicks,” Comet coach Manish Doshi said. “It’s our first time playing in the rain and they’re (Falcons) taking longer steps.”

The Comets weren’t able to react quickly enough to stop Solano’s power kicks because they’re a new team that still lacks the experience of playing college level soccer.

In the first half, CCC couldn’t match the Falcons’ intensity and didn’t look mentally ready to fend off Solano’s attackers.

“We were not prepared to play in the rain,” Comet freshman Maxine Avarado said.

While the Comets had to juggle playing in bad weather and defending against Solano’s offense, they still found ways to discover growth out of an unfamiliar situation.

Comet defender Shirley Correa said the weather was awesome, created great vibes and felt refreshing.

“We got comfortable communicating within the game,” she said.

For the majority of the contest, CCC was unable to stop Solano’s offensive onslaught as the Falcons had 22 shot attempts and ended the first half with a 7-0 advantage.

“We had to just keep going mentality,” Avarado said.

As the rain subsided in the second half, the Comets’ motivation increased and the team brought a renewed sense of intensity to the field and to Solano’s defenders. 

In an attempt to spur his team on, Doshi told his young Comet team to “play with great spirit, work together and pass the ball.”

CCC started the second half strong, matching the Falcon’s offense with good defense by controlling Solano’s shot attempts, which the Comets used as fuel for offense.

“We switched up the way we play defensively and instead put more emphasis into our offense,” Correa said.

CCC increased its offensive attack and forced the Falcons to go on the defensive. The team managed two quick scoring attempts early in the second half.

The Comet offensive attack was led by Avarado and Alava as they both displayed great teamwork in moving the ball down-field. The pair looked for opportunities to score goals and didn’t let the scoreboard dictate their effort.

“When you get down, you just wanna get one back,” coach Doshi said. “It’s small steps, everything things bits, and pieces. We gotta build on it.”

CCC’s effort proved not to be enough as Solano got their offensive rhythm back when Falcon player Kaelyn Morimoto scored a goal that was the catalyst for the Falcons offensive run.

Comet goalie Yojaira Celso said it feels like our defense needs to improve and we need to get better at communicating.

Coach Doshi said this is an improving squad that’s looking is build up their experience.

The women’s soccer team is scheduled to play its next game against Los Medanos College Thursday at 3 p.m. in Pittsburg.