With the preseason now behind them, Escalon soccer squads will take a brief break for the holidays before starting Trans-Valley League competition in the first week of the New Year.
Both the Cougar boys and girls teams were busy in the week before Christmas, getting on the field for non-league contests.
VARSITY BOYS
Monday on the road at Enochs, the varsity squad took a 5-2 loss. The Dec. 18 contest was good in that Enochs provided them with plenty of competition, but head coach Paul Silva said his team fell a little short.
“They have a quality program, a lot of skilled players,” Silva said of Enochs. “It was 3-1 at halftime, they took the lead 1-0; we tied it up on a Daniel Tapia goal off an assist from Guillermo Alvarez.”
In the second half, Alvarez cut the lead to 3-2 with a goal in the first minute, but Enochs went on to score the next two goals for the win.
Oscar Gonzalez had seven saves in goal for Escalon.
Tuesday on the home field, Escalon took a 4-0 win over Calaveras. They had just a 1-0 lead at the half, courtesy of an Alvarez goal in the opening minute of the game. Second half scoring came from Jose Mendez, with two goals, both assisted by Alvarez, and Alvarez put in a goal in the second half as well, with the assist from Denis Pineda. Gonzalez had five saves.
“We’re taking a little break during the Christmas vacation,” Silva said of giving the team time off.
They will be back on the field to practice starting Jan. 3 and have their first game in Trans-Valley League action at Riverbank on Jan. 8.
JV BOYS
Much like their older counterparts, the Escalon JV soccer boys lost to Enochs but beat Calaveras.
They took a 3-1 loss to Enochs to start the week on Dec. 18, the only goal scored by Emiliano Ramirez.
“Gustavo Hernandez had the assist,” said coach Polo Rodriguez. “Enochs was a really good team, they moved the ball well.”
Tuesday, the JV squad settled back in and handled visiting Calaveras, winning by a 9-1 decision.
“CJ Borrego had two goals and an assist, Jose Ryes had three goals,” Rodriguez said. “Emiliano Ramirez had two goals and an assist, Ricky Erazo and Rodolfo Galvan each had a goal and an assist.”
The ability to spread out the scoring was a good sign, as the JV boys get ready for league play, looking to keep opponents guessing as to where the shot will come from. The boys will be at Riverbank on Jan. 8 to start TVL action.
VARSITY GIRLS
Escalon’s varsity Lady Cougars had just one game on their slate. They took a 2-0 win off the field against Calaveras.
Morgan Dominguez scored both goals for Escalon with assists from Dalsin Alves and Mya Beary. Leticia Gutierrez had a pair of saves in goal.
“Alondra Martinez had some solid play to lead the team and Natalie Cortes played great defense,” said head coach Jamie Peoples.
JV GIRLS
The one game for the JV girls went on the books as a 3-1 loss to Calaveras this week. Head coach Jen Schmidt reported that Gena Goodman scored the lone goal for the JV squad.