Imelda Beltran may be a freshman, but she has already established herself as one of Orestimba’s impact players. On the evening of Jan. 2, she willed the Warriors to a 2-1 comeback victory against the Denair Coyotes in Southern Athletic League action. It was also their fifth straight win.
After falling behind 1-0 in the 18th minute after a Skylynn High goal, Beltran knotted the game up with a 40th minute goal. She put her team up for good with a 20-yard free kick from just outside the penalty box in the 71st minute.
“That kick, I just thought, ‘Take a deep breath. Placement over power. If it goes in, it goes in,” she explained. And it surely went in, sailing over the head of Denair goalie Maryfer Carrillo and into the top left corner of the net. It was a moment of elation for Beltran, but one of frustration and disappointment on Denair’s side of the field.
Denair head coach Mark Morphy and staff pleaded with the officiating crew that the foul, which was called after contact was made on Beltran by a trio of Coyotes defenders, was too severe, considering the match had been incredibly physical up to that point.
“Unfortunately, they called what I thought was not a good call in a 1-1 ballgame,” Morphy said. “That always messes you up. You have to let them play it out, especially with the way things were going, but it is what it is.”
Beltran acknowledged that the physicality from the Coyotes and other opponents has been a major eye-opener through her first few weeks as a high schooler. It isn’t anything she can’t handle, though.
“It’s physical. The pushes surprised me because I haven’t been used to that, but I’ve played with boys in the past, so it’s similar to playing them,” she explained.
Beltran also didn’t let the outstanding defense of Carrillo discourage her. By the end of the match, Carrillo had racked up seven saves off of 10 Orestimba shots-on-goal.
“She has been nails for us in the goal box,” Morphy said. “She goes out and gets the ball, kicks it away, she just does everything. We appreciate her efforts.”
Meanwhile, Mariah Avila, Orestimba’s junior goalkeeper, had five saves after the Coyotes launched nine shots-on-goal. High’s score against Avila in the first half was the senior captain’s fifth of the year. As for Beltran, her two goals pushed her season total to seven.
“It was a hard-fought game. But every game, there is a winner and a loser,” said Beltran. “They are a good team and we all fought hard.
The Warriors improved their season record to 6-1-2 and their Southern League record to 4-0. On the other end, the Coyotes dropped to 5-5-1 overall and to 2-3 in league play.
