Tengarrinha‘s View
What was the mindset and energy going into this important match?
“I think it’s been pretty much the same. The only thing that I feel changed is that we were having a pattern since the beginning of the year, in the first 15, 20 minutes, the first half hour, we have the majority of the games. We can press them high and our game plan works.
The only difference that I feel is when we score and when we don’t score, because I don’t have anything to say about these girls. I think they have a strong spirit, a very good energy. They fight every game till the end, even with some problems that we have been facing, they are there.
So I didn’t change too much. I just said to them that today would be a very important day, because if we didn’t win today, or if we lost the game, we couldn’t make the playoffs. And it would be a feeling of being the first team that couldn’t make the playoffs, it’s something that they don’t deserve.
They gave the right answer. We were better again, and it’s a feeling that I’ve been having. You know this because we have been talking about this. The biggest difference is when we score first, we don’t concede, and we go with the momentum.
And congratulations to the girls. It’s their job, not mine.”
What was your reaction to Rebecca Cooke’s second goal?
“That she always does the difficult ones, not the easy ones, because she had two or three situations in the beginning of the first half, much easier than that one. But she’s meant to be a very special player, so she does the most difficult ones. And I’m very happy for her.”
How important was the team’s defensive pressure and high press today?
“I think I said this to you a couple weeks ago, when we lose a match, I still believe that when we do our press and we are all together, we are the best team in the league pressing. And I feel the same. If we are in a good momentum with good energy, no one can press like us, because the desire, the fire that they have inside of them is so big, and they run so much. It’s very difficult to play against us. So yes, today went well. We’re coming from two or three losses, but we’re still being the same.”
What is the focus as the team prepares for the next match?
“The first thing now is they deserve to rest a bit. I’m going to give them extra days to rest, because we are going to face the same opponent in a couple of days. So we need to reset. We need to start again. For me, the most important thing now is to review this game. Of course, Dallas is going to want to give us an answer in the next game, and we need to be ready for that. We will prepare everything to give a good answer as well.”
Match Reactions
Rebecca Cooke, #10, Striker
On her performance:
“I feel like there have been a couple of games where I’ve missed chances. I missed a couple in the first half too. But as a striker, I’m just happy to be able to contribute with two goals today.”
On the team’s key moment:
“Probably how we came together after the red card. I feel like that’s kind of a make-or-break moment at 2–0. If they score, they’re back in it. But I thought we adapted really well and defended the way we’re supposed to in such a short time span. Then to be able to get the third goal at the end was great to seal it off.”
On scoring her second goal:
“I was excited. It always feels good to score, and to have two is even better. It was a breath of fresh air, but we knew we had to keep going and keep our heads down, because two might never be enough. So it felt good, but we were still focused on getting the job done.”
Rylan Childers, #15, midfielder
On the next match against Dallas:
“It’s actually a home game, so it’ll be another chance to do what we did today. We’re excited for them to come back and get to play them again.”
On the team’s potential:
“I think when we have the ball, we’re capable of playing. Once we get in the swing of figuring out how to combine and get through teams, I think we can surprise teams with what we’re capable of doing.”
On the physicality of the match:
“I think every game is physical, there’s no easy game on either side. We knew they were trying to secure their spot in the playoffs, and we were trying to stay alive, so we knew it would be a battle. That’s exactly what it was. Even going up a few goals, we knew they weren’t going to stop. And when we went down a player, it became even more of a battle, just putting in the work to get the job done.”
On the team bond:
“I think it’s exciting. There have been some ups and downs while being here, so getting a win is always fun. It brings us together and makes us want to keep fighting for each other moving forward.”
