Vega sets state record for goals

Brandi Vega took a gamble, and it paid off nicely.

After racking up three goals and two assists last weekend against Damonte Ranch, Vega asked Carson girls soccer coach Randy Roser if she could move to goalie for the rest of the game.

Vega needed one goal to become the state's all-time leading scorer, and she wanted to do it on Senior Night; her final home regular-season game.

"It was her idea," Roser said. "If I had left her in there she definitely would have scored some more. She is so intense, I knew she would get it. If not in the first minute before the last minute."

Vega broke the record in the 12th minute and then added another in extra time to help Carson salvage a 2-2 tie against Galena Tuesday night at Carson High School in a Sierra League match.

The two scores give her 58 for her illustrious career with three away matches left on the schedule.

"I wasn't sure (when the season started) if it was reachable," Vega said. "Anything can happen. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. We've talked about it a lot. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen.

"On the first one, I didn't think I would get it past the keeper until I saw her go under it. I'm glad it happened early, so I could relax a bit."

After the Carson star scored the goal, Roser went to midfield and got the ball for Vega, who had whipped off her jersey a la Brandi Chastain. She immediately went over to the stands and gave it to her mother. Vega took a breather while accepting hugs from her teammates.

The score remained tied at the intermission, though momentum had switched to Carson. The Senators outshot Galena 8-3 in the first half and 14-6 for the game. Vega had a couple of shots blocked before they got anywhere near the goal.

Galena's Melanie Neff gave the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead in the 72nd minute, depositing a shot in the left corner off Kate Schulz, who finished with three saves.

Time was running out on the Senators (6-4-1), who are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot with Bishop Manogue.

In the 75th minute, Carson was unable to get off a shot in the penalty box area before Galena cleared it. Moments later, Vega had a direct kick which went straight into the keeper's hands.

Sarah Lancaster, who gave Galena a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 2nd minute, had a good opportunity to score in the 76th minute but her attempt went wide.

Vega had one good run left in her, and she made it count. The speedster took a through ball from Taylor Musselman and beat Teddy Murray to the ball. At full speed, Vega rifled a shot from a difficult angle into the left corner of the net, tying the match. Vega actually hit the deck after she shot the ball.

"The last two minutes of the game and the last home game, I wanted to go all out. Taylor gave me a great pass. I'm comfortable with those. I practice that all the time."

Roser said it was an impressive effort.

"That's college," he said. "She's running full speed and slots it to the far post. You saw her go to the ground.

"Overall, I can't complain. When we were behind 2-1, we didn't give up. We came out even harder. Another couple of minutes we might have pulled one out."

Roser said a win might have clinched the playoff spot. Now, with away games at Fallon, Douglas and league-leading South Tahoe it's uncertain as to what will happen.

- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281