The Lions and Tigers varsity boys soccer teams are discovering
just how tough the SCL schedule is this year, as they negotiate
their first trip around the league circuit.
Lions gain a split
El Molino (2-4, 2-1) turned in a solid week, falling to a strong
Petaluma contingent, 3-0 on Sept. 12, but rebounded two days later
to post a 2-1 overtime win over visiting Sonoma.
The Lions trailed 1-0 at intermission at Petaluma last week,
prompting coach George Wells to shift players up to force the
action. The Trojans took advantage, scoring a pair of late goals to
notch the 3-0 win.
On Thursday, an early goal by Jeremiah Mahan off an assist by
Michael Starr had the Lions deadlocked with visiting Sonoma, 1-1 at
the break. Both defenses held in the second half, moving the game
to a pair of 10-minute overtime periods. El Mo got a break when a
foul in the box led to a go-ahead goal from Luke Manton, giving the
Lions a tense, 2-1 lead. The Dragons had a chance to tie it in the
second overtime on another PK attempt, but a spectacular save by
Lions goalie Ethan Loudon preserved a hard-fought, 2-1 win.
³We were happy to get out of there with a win against Sonoma,²
noted Wells later. ³For the most part, they possessed the ball more
than we did and outplayed us, but we stuck with it and got the
win.²
Tigers fall to Casa, Petaluma
For the first time in recent memory, Analy dropped two straight
league games last week. The Tigers (7-4, 1-2) fell to Casa Grande,
2-1 and Petaluma, 2-0.
Analy traveled to Casa Grande on Tuesday, scoring its lone goal
on a boot from Addison Wehrfritz. The Gauchos fought off several
Tiger scoring threats in the second half, including an attempted
Analy PK that bounced off the post. Casa hung on to preserve the
2-1 victory.
³We had a lot of opportunities and didn¹t convert,² said Analy
coach Peter Meechan. ³It was just one of those days.²
The Tigers ran into a hot Petaluma squad on Friday at Karlson
Field, battling to a scoreless tie at the break. The Trojans broke
through for a second half goal, and used the momentum to add an
insurance score a few minutes later to notch the 2-0 win.
³We didn¹t play poorly in either game, we made a few mental
mistakes that cost us,² noted Meechan. ³Hopefully we can correct it
and get back on track.²
The Tigers will entertain the Lions tonight (Sept. 21) at
Karlson Field in what should be an exciting game. The JV kick off
the action at 5, followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.
