The Mexico girls made runs at Blair Oaks on Thursday night.

Mexico Girls Soccer Pink Out Photo Gallery

The Lady Bulldogs couldn’t convert as many times as Blair Oaks in a 2-1 loss on Chris Hotop Field in Mexico for Pink Out Night. Blair Oaks held a three-shot advantage in a game that featured 17 combined shots. After the game, the Lady Bulldogs revealed they donated $750 to the Kris Fecht Scholarship Fund and released pink balloons from the midfield circle.

Mexico (5-9) had the lead early in the game when Marali Herrera sent one across the field that leaked in from the right side in the fourth minute. After 18 more minutes, Hattie Meldrum tied the game for the Lady Falcons (6-6-1). Head coach Sarah Olson said Mexico had plenty of possessions and scoring opportunities but just couldn’t capitalize enough. 

“In a loss, you want to look at, ‘Did we do everything we could or almost everything we could?’” Olson said. “I wouldn’t say we’re at ‘the everything we could,’ but we’re at the ‘almost everything we could.’”

Olson said Mexico had “more dangerous chances” against Blair Oaks’ defense and goalkeeper Kylie Hickman. On a handful of occasions, the Lady Bulldogs sprinted down the field to shoot a loose ball down the field but couldn’t reach it before Hickman. 

While Olson said Mexico made Blair Oaks feel more “threatened” than the Lady Bulldogs’ defense, the opportunities weren’t at the best part of the field. She said this was better in the second half, and Mexico generally moved up the field better after halftime to apply more pressure. 

“It’s the right idea, but we’re just placing the ball a little bit in the wrong area,” Olson said. “It needs to be more to a corner. That way, it’s farther out and the goalkeeper doesn’t feel as comfortable coming out and collecting it.”

Olson said Blair Oaks was “packed a lot of people in” on defense, which made the middle more crowded and harder to push shots through. 

On Herrera’s goal, Olson said Mexico worked on its plays following throw-ins in practice leading up to the game and was happy to see a goal came from those efforts.

“Throw-ins happen consistently throughout a game like 20-30 throw-ins,” Olson said. “It’s just being dynamic with throw-ins — we tend to stand a lot — but she hustled, she moved, she got the ball and it ended up going in.”

Blair Oaks took the lead in the 59th minute on a corner kick by Mayson Davis. The kick sailed over a wall of red and white jerseys and found its way into the net on the far left side corner. Olson said those are difficult to defend so Mexico has to forget moments like that quickly and focus on scoring in response.

“Sometimes, it’s just a good goal,” Olson said. “‘Well, not much you can do about that.’ That happens on any level of soccer.”

This loss was Mexico’s seventh loss in eight games after encountering a stretch of its schedule that had five teams with winning records. In most of those games, the Lady Bulldogs were limited to no goals or one goal but won 4-1 at North Central Missouri Conference and district rival Fulton two games prior to Blair Oaks. Sherlyn Mena Lopez scored once, Emily Moppin scored twice and Zoey Norton converted on a penalty kick to defeat Fulton.

Olson said the Blair Oaks game was “super physical,” “energetic” and “quick” while the Fulton game was “a little slower.” She said Mexico focuses on building on its latest performance.

“We want to play quick no matter what, but scoring four goals was excellent,” Olson said. “We want to build on what we did last time. I think (the Blair Oaks) game is a game to build on for sure.”

Mexico (5-10, 2-5 NCMC) hosts conference foe Moberly (12-4, 5-2 NCMC), who defeated the Lady Bulldogs 8-0 in Hannibal earlier this season, at 6:45 p.m. Monday.