There was plenty of winning going on for Escalon soccer teams this past week, with the JV and varsity girls and boys all getting on the pitch for three games.
The hectic pace in Trans-Valley League action saw the teams battling Riverbank, Ripon and Mountain House.
VARSITY GIRLS
Starting the week on the road, the varsity Lady Cougars crafted a 3-1 victory at Riverbank on Monday, Jan. 29.
“Mya Beary, Peyton Arnold and Karla Cordova had our goals, Georgina Gallo had an assist,” said head coach Jamie Peoples.
In goal, Leticia Gutierrez had one save as the varsity defensive corps did a good job keeping the Riverbank forwards under control.
Wednesday on the home field, visiting Ripon brought their finely tuned game to town and shut down Escalon, defeating the host varsity girls by a 3-0 final. Escalon did get off a few shots but the Ripon netminder was stingy and didn’t allow any goals to get through. Escalon was frequently trying to chase down the elusive Ripon front line and the Lady Indians used that speed to their advantage with plenty of scoring opportunities.
“Leticia had three saves,” noted Peoples.
Closing out the jam-packed week with another home game on Friday, Feb. 2, the varsity rebounded with a solid 4-1 win over Mountain House.
This time, Lily Franks got the start in goal and had two saves, with her teammates providing plenty of offense on the other end of the field.
“Goals were by Mya Beary, Morgan Dominguez, Kyleigh Raffety and Alondra Martinez,” Peoples said.
Notching assists in the game were Arnold, Katie Erazo and Alondra Martinez.
The girls will be at home on Wednesday, Feb. 7 to celebrate Senior Day prior to a game with Hughson, with festivities starting at 3:30 p.m.
JV GIRLS
A 3-1 win at Riverbank – the same as their varsity counterparts – went on the books for the JV Lady Cougars on Jan. 29.
“Jayda Enes had a goal on a header off an assist from Liz Cortes,” head coach Jen Schmidt explained.
Janneth Lagunas added a goal and Alexis Barron had a goal with an assist from Ella Adams.
“It wasn’t our best game but we still came out with a win, which made us happy,” noted Schmidt.
Wednesday at home against Ripon, the JV girls couldn’t get much going and fell victim to a hungry Lady Indians team, which went away with a 5-1 win.
“They are our toughest competition this season and we didn’t show up and prove we wanted to beat them,” Schmidt admitted. “We slacked off this game and it showed on the field. Our one goal was scored by Ella Adams, who played her best game so far this season.”
Fighting back from the tough loss, the JV girls did get a Friday afternoon win at home, defeating Mountain House in a close 2-1 contest.
“It was a tougher battle than we expected. Our shots weren’t being finished into the back of the net and neither team scored in the first half,” Schmidt said. “In the second half we scored both our goals in a matter of five minutes.”
Both came from Alexis Barron, the first off an assist from Jayda Enes and the second with the assist from Nevaeh Pence.
Escalon will be on the home field Wednesday, Feb. 7 for a 3:30 p.m. contest against Hughson.
VARSITY BOYS
Taking their first loss in Trans-Valley League play this season, Escalon’s varsity Cougar boys fell by a 1-0 decision to visiting Riverbank on Monday, Jan. 29.
“We gave up a penalty kick with seven minutes left in the game,” said head coach Paul Silva. “Oscar (Gonzalez) had a good game, he had eight saves, he was pretty stout in the back and our defense repelled quite a bit of pressure.”
The host Cougars were just a little out of sync, admitted Silva.
“Riverbank came out hungry, aggressive,” the coach said. “We got caught up in the calls and non-calls (by refs) and our midfielders and forwards were just not clicking that day.”
Silva said Monday games can pose some problems for the team, as they don’t get a day of practice in before taking the field for competition. Still, he said, the Cougars need to be ready regardless of the day.
Though the Monday loss was their first in TVL action, the varsity boys were able to shake that off.
“We bounced back in our Wednesday game against Ripon, we beat them 4-0 and were up 2-0 at halftime,” Silva said.
Jonathan Valeriano had the assist on a throw in early in the game, Armando Gonzalez notching the goal.
“He kicked it in, sweet, with his left foot and he is a right-footed shot,” Silva noted of the goal that hit the top corner. “Right before halftime, Guillermo Alvarez got a goal off a Mario Zurita assist.”
In the second half, Gonzalez got his second score of the day, this time with the assist from Nolan Rockwell.
“They linked up through the midfield, Nolan went up the wing and made a perfect cross to Armando,” Silva said.
Midway through the second half, Escalon got its final score of the day. Hector Rodriguez notched the goal unassisted to make it 4-0.
Albaro Plascencia got the start in goal and had six saves.
“It was a pretty open game,” said Silva. “Ripon did a good job attacking on the wing but defensively we were very sound.”
Friday on the road, the boys shut out Mountain House by a 6-0 final, scoring three goals in each half.
Alvarez had three goals and two assists; Rockwell had a goal and an assist; Angel Sanchez had a goal and sweeper Daniel Galvan converted on a penalty kick for a goal.
Oscar Gonzalez was back in the goal and made four saves in 60 minutes, while Plascencia played 20 minutes in goal and made three saves in the game.
“It was probably our best played game all year, our passing was crisp, they showed me what they’re capable of,” Silva said of his team. “It was a fun game, fun to watch them play to their potential.”
The varsity boys were scheduled to host Modesto Christian on Monday, Feb. 5 after The Times went to press and will be at Hughson on Wednesday, Feb. 7 before closing out the regular season at home on Monday, Feb. 12 hosting Hilmar.
JV BOYS
With six wins and two ties, the JV soccer boys are leading the Trans-Valley League and look to finish out the campaign strong.
They got two wins and one tie this past week, starting with a 1-1 draw at home against Riverbank on Jan. 29.
“Ricky Erazo scored our goal, C.J. Borrego had the assist,” said head coach Polo Rodriguez. “We had the lead in the first half, in the second half they tied it up. It was an interesting game, real close.”
Clay Evans had six saves against the Bruins.
Wednesday, the JV boys roared back with a road win at Ripon, taking down the host Indians by a lopsided 8-2 final.
Gustavo Hernandez had four goals to lead the onslaught, with two goals and two assists from Erazo. Miguel Aranda had a goal, Borrego had a goal. Moises Grajeda had two assists, Jonathan Yepez had an assist and Evans made four saves.
“Friday at Mountain House, we got a 6-1 win,” said Rodriguez. “Gustavo Hernandez had five goals and one assist; he went off, had an amazing game.”
Erazo again contributed to the scoring as well, with one goal and one assist, Grajeda chipped in with two more assists. Evans had four saves.
“It was a good game,” Rodriguez said.
The JV boys will be at Hughson on Wednesday, Feb. 7 for a game and then close out the season with a home game on Monday, Feb. 12 against the Hilmar Yellowjackets.
