It may have taken the better part of a decade, but all was forgiven on Jan. 14 when the El Molino boys soccer team slipped past Piner 3-2 for their first league win.
The Lions (1-3, 2-6-1) had not won a league game since the 2014 season, enduring their share of bad weather and heartbreaking losses along the way.
Monday’s win was the team’s fourth match in eight days, coming on the heels of successive losses to Cardinal Newman (5-0), Maria Carrillo (3-0) and Ukiah (4-3), but the team showed its mettle against the visiting Prospectors.
“The guys were tired and sore but dug deep and showed some real Lion Pride,” El Mo coach Dave Rosales said. “This was our first league win in a while, and I’m just so happy for the guys.”
Knotted at 1-1 at the half, the Lions tallied two goals in the second period and held off every Piner challenge in the waning minutes to pull out the win. Goal scorers for El Molino included Logan Myers, Jack Dunkle and Yoshmir Martinez
The Lions will resume league action at Analy on Jan. 17 (6 p.m.), followed by a Wednesday, Jan. 23 home date with Roseland University Prep (time TBA).
Tigers weather tough stretch
Analy hit a bump in the road in the opening stretch of the NBL Redwood Division schedule, suffering losses to Maria Carrillo (2-0) and Roseland University Prep (1-0) before salvaging a scoreless tie with Cardinal Newman on Saturday.
The Tigers (0-2-1, 5-3-2) will host El Mo on Jan. 17 and Piner on Jan. 19 before hitting the road to Ukiah on Jan. 23. All varsity matches start at 6 p.m.
Ladies battling on league pitch
The Lady Tigers opened the ultra tough North Bay League Oak Division last week, sandwiching a 2-0 win over Sonoma Academy on Jan. 10 with losses to Cardinal Newman (1-0) and Montgomery (1-0). Zaida Jenkins scored both goals for Analy in the win over Sonoma Academy, while goalie Kaija Bazzano recorded the shutout.
“For our first three games of the season and fresh off break, I think we played well, considering,” Tigers coach Brittney Briones reported. “We’re continuing to work on finding a solid lineup, finding feet and finishing.”
Analy (1-2, 5-3) resumes league action at Maria Carrillo on Jan. 17 and plays host to Windsor on Jan. 23. Both varsity matches start at 6 p.m.
Lions looking for wins
Meanwhile the Lady Lions (0-2, 1-5) are in search of their first NBL Redwood Division win, coming off recent losses to Rancho Cotate (2-1) and Santa Rosa (3-0). Lily Dittman scored the Lions’ lone goal against the Cougars, with an assist from Hailey Sheridan.
At press time El Mo was prepping for a Jan. 15 home clash with Healdsburg, followed by a Jan. 17 date with visiting Elsie Allen at 6 p.m.
