The field was slippery and muddy. The play was chippy and physical. The scoring was sublime. In other words, just another Aberdeen-Hoquiam rivalry match in boys soccer.
Following a scoreless first half where host Hoquiam pressed for the opening goal it needed, Aberdeen took the match under its control with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half for a 3-0 non-league victory at Sea Breeze Oval.
Senior Cesar Corona scored a brace — the first and third goals of the match — with fellow senior teammate Miguel Torres scoring one for the Bobcats (2-1). AHS goalkeeper Alexis Garcia, who took a hard knock late in the match, picked up the shutout against the Grizzlies (4-1).
“For the seniors, this was our last game against Hoquiam and we wanted to come away with the win,” Corona said. “This is a pretty good, especially for me as a senior. All we wanted to do today was beat Hoquiam.”
“We felt pretty good about where we were at at halftime, but all of a sudden, we looked up and we were down 2-0,” HHS head coach Fidel Sanchez said. “That tells me we were focused and ready to play in the second half. This is why I like non-league games — you play the best teams you can and learn about yourself and your character. We’re not going to learn anything beating someone 5-0. We will learn after losing a game like this.”
This is the only meeting of the season for these two rivals and both teams were emotionally and physically engaged into it. Both teams were rough, chippy and right at the line of physicality as the defenses stepped up to the task.
Hoquiam, which had put up big scoring numbers (outscoring its opponents 20-2 in its first four matches) so far this season, pressed hard for the opening goal. Carlos Juarez and Connor Darras had chances against Garcia, but couldn’t convert.
Just before the halftime whistle, Corona got his first chance of the contest. On a long free kick from Torres, Corona got a header shot off that went right to Hoquiam goalkeeper Johnny Smith. It was a perfect precursor to the second half.
“Horrible field, so it was tough for us to control the ball and it took us a long time to get a good touch on the ball,” AHS head coach Larry Fleming said. “In the second half, our passing and touch was much better. It was a little more physical than I would have liked, but it is a rivalry game. I thought we played great.”
“That was our plan to go forward; it was a good game in the first half,” Sanchez said. “In the second half, we were out of focus. We just didn’t focus well enough to finish the game. We just didn’t get enough chances in the second half to attack the goal. It was a letdown. I was not happy with how we played in the second half.”
Three minutes into the second half, Corona opened the scoring when he took a long chipped through ball from Torres and controlled it with two touches. With Smith charging, Corona slotted the ball home for the 1-0 lead.
Corona moved up front after halftime, creating a 3-4-3 formation for the Bobcats and opening up their offensive options as well.
Darras nearly tied it up in the 46th minute when he cleared Aberdeen’s defense and hit a bullet toward the upper left corner of the goal. The ball hit the crossbar and stayed out.
Aberdeen returned the pressure and got a 2-0 lead when Torres weaved and slalomed his way around several HHS defenders to slot home a goal past Smith in the 50th minute.
The remainder of the match was physical and rough on both sides as Aberdeen defended Hoquiam’s attempts to get back into the match.
In the 63rd minute, Corona finished the scoring and iced the contest when he was on the receiving end of a quick-started free kick from just outside the penalty area that resulted in a goal.
“That was a good ball; the first half was both ways, but we knew we needed the momentum in the second half and got it with the goal,” Corona added. “Miguel just told me to go and I got the ball while everyone else was talking to the referee. That was a good goal.”
Coach Fleming cited reserves Brandon Hulscher, David Housden and Damon McCormick for their work off the bench and senior sweeper Robby Lewis for negotiating the field and leading the defense.
Aberdeen won the junior varsity match, 3-0. Enrique Cuevas, Rigo Alavez and Brian Vega each scored for the Bobcats.
On Saturday, Aberdeen continues its non-league road trip at Montesano. On Tuesday, Hoquiam starts up Evergreen 1A League play at Tenino.
