Montesano matched up with East County rival Elma for another exciting contest between two of the top teams in the 1A Evergreen League as we review Monday’s boys prep soccer games on the Harbor.

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BOYS PREP SOCCER

Montesano 1, Elma 0

In what figures to be a tight race for the 1A Evergreen League title, Montesano took a big step forward with a 1-0 win over Elma in overtime on Monday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

The Bulldogs (4-0 overall, 4-0 1A Evergreen) and Eagles (1-2, 1-2) each had their chances in what turned out to be a high energy, back-and-forth game.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Cris Tobar (background) and Elma’s Ivan Rodriguez compete for possession during the Bulldogs’ 1-0 win on Monday in Montesano.

Both teams took its shots in a first half, including Montesano missing on several golden scoring opportunities in the first minutes of the match and a dangerous Elma point-blank header that was deflected away by Bulldogs sophomore goalkeeper Matt Causey.

Montesano had a slight advantage in scoring chances in the second half, including several long throw-ins toward the net by senior forward Felix Romero that created some tense moments in front of the Eagles’ goal. But Elma sophomore keeper Trey Yeager and the Eagles defense steered away any headers and loose-ball attempts to keep the game scoreless heading into overtime.

RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Elma goalkeeper Trey Yeager (left) makes a save during a 1-0 loss to Montesano on Monday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

Two minutes into the first extra period, an Elma attack penetrated deep inside the Monte third, with the ball dropped back to the foot of the Eagles’ Ivan Rodriguez.

The sophomore midfielder blistered a shot that was heading to the far-high corner of the net, but Causey made a fully-extended, leaping one-handed save to deflect the ball out of bounds and keep the game scoreless.

Late in the five-minute frame, Elma defender Matthew Wood was called for a controversial foul on a Romero throw-in after Montesano’s Andrew Melendez went down to the ground during some jostling for position inside the Eagles’ goal box.

Monte was awarded a penalty kick, with Romero striding to the line for the potential game-winner. The Bulldogs’ leading goal-scorer placed a hard shot into the high-left corner of the net past Yeager for a golden goal, giving Montesano the 1-0 win.

“You don’t like them,” Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said of the foul call and subsequent penalty kick. “But to be 100% fair, we’ll re-watch it on the tape because I was looking up the field and I hear the whistle and look back and (the referee) made the call.”

“I had a tough game altogether. I couldn’t really find the back of the net and I had a couple of chances that were close,” said Romero, who gave credit to teammates such as midfielder Cris Tobar for getting him scoring chances throughout the match. “I just kind of sat there and took in the moment. I’ve been in big moments before and knew what I needed to do. It was just a sigh of relief to not have to go to the real stressful part (a penalty-kick shootout).”

“It’s always disappointing when a game comes down to that,” Seaberg said. “At the same time, we put ourselves in that position, to allow a call like that to be made that late in the game instead of maybe finishing some stuff earlier. … But a lot of the chances were rushed because both teams were playing hard and fast.”

Causey earned his first shutout of the season and was credited by Romero for playing a significant role in the victory.

“Matt Causey is one of the main reasons we were in it,” Romero said. “Matt really stepped up today and our defense played amazing.”

RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano goalkeeper Matt Causey earned a shutout with a 1-0 victory over Elma on Monday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

For Montesano head coach Fidel Sanchez, the game was a stark contrast compared to his team’s previous victories this season, which were high-scoring affairs with a combined 24 goals in three games.

“We’ve been winning and getting scored on a lot. Now, we don’t give up a goal and struggled scoring, so which one is it?” he joked. “I’d rather have a sound defense, like we did tonight. … We did not give up a goal and that’s the first time we’ve done that this season.”

Both teams will be back in action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with Monte hosting Forks and Elma taking on Ilwaco in Elma.

Elma 0 0 0 – 0

Montesano 0 0 1 – 1

Scoring

First half – none.

Second half – none.

First overtime – 1, Montesano, Romero, 82nd minute.

Other games

Raymond-South Bend 8, Hoquiam 1