Montesano all but locked up the 1A Evergreen League’s top seed as we review Monday’s boys prep soccer games on the Harbor.
BOYS PREP SOCCER
Montesano 1, Elma 0
Montesano remained in control of its own destiny for the 1A Evergreen League’s top playoff seed with a 1-0 win over Elma on Monday in Montesano.
The Bulldogs (11-4 overall, 11-2 1A Evergreen) scored a goal in the second minute of the game when sophomore midfielder Jules Desjour’s shot bounced off the chest of Eagles keeper Tyler Keith and trickled across the line for a 1-0 lead.
Elma (10-6, 9-4) would pepper the Montesano goal throughout the remainder of the game. The Eagles nearly scored the equalizer multiple times.
Senior forward Cason Seaberg held possession near the Bulldogs end line and sent a dangerous cross to senior midfielder Jose Perez, who shot a one-timer was blocked by a Montesano defender.
A handful of players battled for the loose ball in front of the Monte net before senior goal keeper Cohen Andersen scooped it up to thwart the Eagles threat.
A few minutes later a hard shot from 23-yards out by Perez was headed just under the crossbar until Andersen leaped to make a clutch one-handed save, deflecting the ball out of bounds for an Elma corner kick.
An Elma last-ditch effort came in the 78th minute when junior forward Ivan Torres ripped a long, angled shot from 25-yards out, but Andersen saw it all the way, making a jumping two-handed save to preserve the shutout victory.
“A one-goal lead, (Elma) can get that right back and it’s just a 0-0 game again,” Andersen said. “Got to be locked in and got to stay focused on the task at hand and we did a pretty good job of that tonight. The intensity stayed the same throughout the whole game.”
Andersen made 12 saves in the game as the Eagles had the majority of scoring opportunities and held Monte to three shots on-goal and nine total shots in the match.
Ever holding his team to a high standard, Montesano head coach Fidel Sanchez said that despite the victory, he felt his team didn’t perform as he would have preferred.
“We didn’t play well,” he said. “It was nice to get that early goal, but after that it was Elma’s midfield that took it to us. That’s what I was disapointed about. But we defended well and Cohen had a great game and came through for us and we held on for the win. That’s what matters now. … We weren’t the better team tonight, but we still got the win. That’s the way soccer goes.”
The victory was key for Montesano as the Bulldogs remain in the driver’s seat for the league’s No. 1 district-playoff seed with the victory.
“The (loss to Raymond-South Bend) last Friday upset all of us a lot and for us, this was a big deal for us to come out and prove that we are still here for a league championship and we can get it done,” Andersen said. “There was definitely a lot of extra motivation. We felt like (the loss) was not characteristic of us at all and we feel like we came out here and proved that tonight.”
Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said he felt his back line was “clean and efficient defending” which lead to chances through the midfield and into Monte’s final third, but a lack of finishing touch prevented the Eagles from victory.
“You put yourself in a position (to win) and the boys did a great job of doing that. Sometimes, that’s just the way it falls,” he said, adding he’s not too concerned with what seed the Eagles end up with. “I feel like it really doesn’t matter where we finish. We’re a team that is on the verge of choosing which way we are going to go. Do we want to be the best versions of ourselves and go forward? I think we’re going to give everybody trouble if that’s the case. Or we could be a team that lets our emotions and difficult play dictate how we play the next one. I’m not as worried about how we finish, but how we treat it going forward.”
The Bulldogs sit in a first-place tie with Raymond-South Bend and hold the tiebreaker advantage (plus-2 head-to-head goals) against the Ravens.
An RSB loss to Hoquiam on Wednesday and a Montesano win over last-place Ilwaco at 6 p.m. on Monday in Montesano would give Monte the outright league title and secure the league’s top seed.
If both RSB and Montesano win, the two teams will finish tied atop the league with the No. 1 seed going to Monte and the No. 2 spot belonging to the Ravens.
Elma sits in fourth place with the loss and will face third-place Eatonville at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Elma.
If Elma wins by two goals, the Eagles will leapfrog the Cruisers and earn the 1A Evergreen League No. 3 playoff seed.
Elma 0 0 – 0
Montesano 1 0 – 1
Scoring
First half – 1, Montesano, Desjour, 2nd minute.
Second half – none.
Raymond-South Bend 4, Eatonville 2
Raymond-South Bend kept its hopes for a 1A Evergreen League title alive with a 4-2 win over Eatonville on Monday at South Bend High School.
The Ravens (11-2, 11-2 1A Evergreen) got two goals apiece from junior midfielder Edgar Ramirez and freshman forward Adam Mora in the victory.
RSB led 3-1 in the second half before Eatonville (10-5, 10-3) scored a goal on a penalty kick.
But Mora scored his second of the game to provide some insurance and help secure the Ravens’ victory.
With the win, RSB remains tied with Montesano for the league’s top spot with one game remaining in the league schedule.
A Ravens win over Hoquiam at 6 p.m. on Wednesday combined with a Montesano loss to last-place Ilwaco on Monday would give RSB the league title.
If both Montesano and RSB end the league season tied, the Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker (plus-2 head-to-head goals) over the Ravens and would earn the league’s No. 1 seed.
RSB can do no worse than the league’s No. 2 district-playoff seed with the victory on Monday.
Hoquiam 5, Tenino 0
Hoquiam played what its head coach dubbed its best performance of the season in a 5-0 win over Tenino on Monday at the Sea Breeze Oval in Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies (6-10, 6-7 1A Evergreen) took the early lead when senior midfielder JP Zuniga sent a cross inside the penalty box to sophomore midfielder Santiago Martinez Ortiz, who converted the feed for a goal in the 7th minute.
Hoquiam freshman forward JB Fabian scored off a Martinez Ortiz cross in the 20th minute for a 2-0 lead.
The Grizzlies took a 3-0 lead at halftime with a Alexsander Perez goal off a feed from JB Fabian in the 30th minute.
Martinez Ortiz completed the hat trick with two goals in the second half to complete the 5-0 win.
Hoquiam had 27 shots in the game to just two for Tenino (1-14, 1-12).
“This is the best we’ve played all season. We moved the ball around and played like a team. It was awesome to watch,” Hoquiam head coach Corri Schmid said. “Hopefully, we can keep the momentum rolling into our next game.”
Hoquiam hosts Raymond-South Bend in the league finale at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Tenino 0 0 – 0
Hoquiam 3 2 – 5
Scoring
First half – 1, Hoquiam, Martinez Ortiz (JP Zuniga), 7th minute. 2, Hoquiam, JB Fabian (Martinez Ortiz), 20th minute. 3, Hoquiam, Perez (JB Fabian), 30th minute.
Second half – 4, Hoquiam, JB Fabian, 57th minute. 5, Hoquiam, JB Fabian.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano midfielder Jules Desjour scored the game’s only goal in the second minute in a victory over Elma on Monday in Montesano.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano goal keeper Cohen Andersen, top, leaps to grab a loose ball in front of Elma’s Jose Perez (11) and Ivan Torres during the Bulldogs’ 1-0 win on Monday in Montesano.
