Mari Garcia fights for the ball against a defender.

The sound of soccer cleats echoed throughout Jacob Rankin Stadium on Tuesday, December 4. The Lady Grizzlies soccer team faced the Dinuba Emperors for the first time at home. The Lady Grizzlies ended up winning, 3-0 at the end of the night.

"I just wanted everyone to work together in tonight's game," said one of two team captains, Janae Gonzales. "I knew we could win if we just worked together like we do in practices."

The first half of the game was played with intensity from both teams. Dinuba's mid-field and forwards kept putting pressure on Granite's defense from the first minute, until the last. Senior Mari Garcia helped move the ball around the field by giving passes to her teammates.

Within minutes of the first half Garcia dribbled past defenders and scored for Granite, 1-0. Cheering fans from all around the stadium were heard after Garcia scored.

Dinuba didn't give up without a fight. They kept pressuring Granite's defense and played "rough ball" for many more minutes to come. As Dinuba tried to keep the ball in Granite scoring territory- they ran into a problem. Gonzales and junior Xochilt Yahuaca didn't let much get passed them throughout the night.

Towards the end of the first half Garcia dribbled to the outside of the penalty box and took a shot-goal. The Grizzlies ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.

Both teams got set up for the second half; both teams still wanted to win. Dinuba's offense consisted of mainly two players. This helped Granite out in the long run when they were able to shut down Dinuba and keep Zoe Kisling (goalie) out of trouble.

The rest of the second half was an endurance test for both teams and the temperature dropped constantly.

With only a few minutes left in the game, Garcia dribbled down the right side of the field and gave a centered pass to teammate Deanna Alamillo. Alamillo placed the ball in the left side of the goal box and scored, making the score 3-0.