Victoria Viquez, Darlene Zuniga Medina and Grace Garcia commemorated their senior night by scoring goals Tuesday night, helping spur Destrehan to a 3-0 victory over visiting Terrebonne at Wildcat Stadium.
The Ladycats began the season with five straight losses, but battled through injuries and have now moved to 5-8 under first-year Destrehan head coach Bailey King. Destrehan has won three of its last four matches. It’s begun District 7-1 play with a 1-1 record.
“We had good ball movement tonight – I’m really proud of them for that,” said King, who starred at Hahnville during her prep playing days. “They connected a lot of passes. And with Victoria Viquez up top, she is always able to run them down. Every single game she always has opportunities. Then (Zuniga Medina and Garcia) each scored on PKs. It was great to see.”
Zuniga Medina got the Wildcats on the board first.
“I needed to come through and I placed it in the corner,” said Zuniga Medina. “I’m very proud of how we played tonight. This was one of our best games so far – everyone really played their hearts out.”
Viquez followed up with a goal to put DHS ahead 2-0.
“I was so winded after that, but it was so worth it,” Viquez said. “The (pass) was so good and I saw it and thought, ‘Wow, I can really get this ball.’ And when I did, I thought, ‘That’s a wrap, I got this.’ It was so pretty from the start. I think it lifted everyone’s mood the rest of the game. We played so hard all game. It was a really great senior night.”
Garcia put the exclamation point on the victory, her goal coming in the game’s final minutes.
She said that between players missing time and high roster turnover from last season in general, Destrehan has faced adversity this season. But she said she’s proud of the way her team’s handled it.
“We’ve had our ups and downs this year, but tonight was one of our ups,” said Garcia. “And we’re finally on our way up. Our team is relatively young, but I think we have a lot of potential here, and I feel comfortable knowing (the seniors) are leaving this in the hands of these underclassmen.”
Garcia said there’s been a lot of improvement since the start of the season.
“I think we flow together as a team. And I don’t think our ranking right now reflects who we are now as a team,” she said.
Said Viquez, “We trust in one another. And despite all the injuries we’ve had, everyone’s done their part to get better and get back. I think it shows how determined we are and how much everyone cares for this and wants it.”
King said the Wildcats regrouped after the slow start, and in particular refocused during the Christmas break.
“We locked in on the basics and fundamentals, to get those down so we could come out and play good soccer,” said King.
The results have been promising so far. Destrehan has won two of its three matches since the start of the new year, both of those wins shutouts (including a 4-0 win over Ellender).
“This defense is on top of it every single time,” said King. “We have a stacked defensive line, all seniors, and they all are ready to play every night. They’re a brick wall back there.”
