Aberdeen beat Hoquiam and Montesano rallied past Rochester as we review Thursday’s boys prep soccer games on the Harbor.

~~~

BOYS PREP SOCCER

Aberdeen 3, Hoquiam 1

Aberdeen braved the elements to earn a 3-1 season-opening victory over a much-improved Hoquiam Grizzlies squad on Thursday at the Sea Breeze Oval in Hoquiam.

The Bobcats (1-0 overall) nearly fell behind early as the Grizzlies (0-1) earned a penalty kick in the sixth minute of the game, but junior forward Santiago Martinez Ortiz’s attempt sailed just over the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.

Both teams had their chances through a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes of the game until the Bobcats settled in to get the better scoring opportunities.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen defenders (from left) Angel Espinosa, Ryker Scott, Ricky Granados and Trino Villar form a wall against a free-kick attempt by Hoquiam’s Santiago Martinez Ortiz during the Bobcats’ 3-1 win on Thursday in Hoquiam.

Aberdeen broke the scoreless tie late in the first half when sophomore defender Ricky Granados sent a through ball to senior forward Marc Avila, who chipped it just inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.

The Bobcats continued to apply pressure and cashed in when Avila outran the Hoquiam defense to get on the end of a well-place through pass from senior defender Trino Villar for a breakaway goal early in the second half.

Avila was at it a few minutes later when he took a feed from junior forward Edgar Ceja and scored for a 3-0 lead and a natural hat trick.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen player congratulate Marc Avilla (8) after the senior forward scored one of his three goals during a 3-1 victory over Hoquiam on Thursday at Hoquiam High School.

With time winding down, Martinez Ortiz dribbled into Aberdeen territory and ripped an approximate 25-yard shot just under the crossbar to make it a 3-1 game with just over three minutes to play.

“I thought we played well considering the amount of times we were fouled and the field being very small and almost impossible to pass the ball around on.” said Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming, referencing a wet and muddy Sea Breeze Oval that was further deluged with a mid-game hailstorm.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen midfielder Gilbran Garcia (5) is defended by Hoquiam’s JB Fabian during the Bobcats’ 3-1 win on Thursday in Hoquiam.

Hoquiam head coach Corri Schmid said her team being another year older and more experienced showed on the pitch against a Bobcats team that ran away with last season’s matchup by a score of 6-0.

“We really have started working as a team,” she said. “Last year, we were very young. I think the year of experience has helped.”

Schmid also fielded a team that was without three of its starters due to eligibility and disciplinary reasons.

“Obviously, there is still a lot of room for us to grow,” she said. “But I am excited to see where we are going to go this season.”

Hoquiam faces Montesano in a key early-season 1A Evergreen League match at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Montesano.

Aberdeen has a non-league contest against Kelso at 2 p.m. Saturday at Kelso High School.

Aberdeen 1 2 – 3

Hoquiam 0 1 – 1

Scoring

First half – 1, Aberdeen, Avila (Granados).

Second half – 2, Aberdeen, Avila (Villar). 3, Aberdeen, Avila (Ceja). 4, Hoquiam, Martinez Ortiz.

~~~

Montesano 5, Rochester 4

Montesano rallied not once, but twice to earn an important 5-4 league win over Rochester in a season-opener on Thursday in Rochester.

The Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 1A Evergreen) fell behind by two goals barely seven minutes into the game in what head coach Fidel Sanchez said was an uncharacteristic performance by his squad.

“That’s not very characteristic for this program to be down 2-0 seven minutes into the game and having to claw back,” he said.

Monte got back into the game with goals by junior midfielder Cris Tobar in the 10th minute and off an assist from senior forward Felix Romero in the 33rd minute.

But a Warriors goal on a penalty kick in the 39th minute gave Rochester the lead before halftime.

The Warriors took their second two-goal lead of the game on a score in the 41st minute, forcing the Bulldogs coaching staff to make some moves.

“We had to do a lot of adjustment to neutralize the game and we did that,” Sanchez said. “We moved some people in the back line and that seemed to work a lot better.”

Once again, the Bulldogs fought back.

Tobar recorded a hat trick with a goal in the 52nd minute followed by a penalty-kick conversion for his fourth goal to tie the game at 4-4 in the 61st minute.

Romero completed the comeback, giving Monte the lead with a goal in the 73rd minute.

“The biggest thing was them battling and not doubting themselves and I love a team that can do that,” Sanchez said of his players. “Those teams are tough to find. Those are the teams you don’t want to play.”

Montesano will face its second-straight league opponent to open the season when it hosts Hoquiam at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Montesano 2 3 – 5

Rochester 3 1 – 4

Scoring

First half – 1, Rochester, 2nd minute. 2, Rochester, 7th minute. 3, Montesano, Tobar, 10th minute. 4, Montesano, Tobar (Romero), 33rd minute. 5, Rochester, 39th minute.

Second half – 6, Rochester, 41st minute. 7, Montesano, Tobar, 52nd minute. 8, Montesano, Tobar, 61st minute. 9, Montesano, Romero, 73rd minute.