Poterville boys soccer edges Monache
Goal in last minute gives Porterville 2-1 victory
Between the injuries and neither team being able to find the back of the net again, Friday’s rivalry game between Porterville and Monache High School boys soccer teams looked to be going into overtime.
But with less than a minute to play, the Panthers’ Ricardo Angeles became the team’s hero when he scored off a rebound that was off a teammate’s blocked shot.
“It was nice to get that win and not have to go into overtime,” PHS head coach Eddie Gutierrez joked. “Because we’ve got games coming up and we’re kinda banged up. It’s good we didn’t have to play any extra. We haven’t been good in overtime this year anyway so I’m glad we didn’t go to overtime. Anytime we beat Monache it’s good because they always play us tough.”
Porterville (10-7, 3-2 EYL) sits at third in league with Mission Oak’s and Tulare Union’s 4-1 EYL records tying them for first. With the win, the Panthers still have a slim chance at an EYL title.
“We’re only one game behind first place because the other teams that were undefeated lost,” Gutierrez said. “It was a big win for us. (Monache) always play us tough, we know that. When we play them, records go out the window. We knew they were going to play tough. I thought the team played well. We created some good chances and kept them from creating too many. It was just kind of frustrating towards the end when we couldn’t break through their defense. Their defense played great.”
Monache (6-11-2, 1-4 EYL) was the first on the board with a goal from Cristian Ceja in the 19th minute of the game but Porterville scored the equalizer six minutes later when Ivan Alcantar headed in a cross from a corner kick.
“I think the first half we were a little bit slow coming out,” MHS head coach Erik Romero said. “The second half, definitely dominated a little bit more. Still have to work on that finishing. We had a lot more opportunities but other than that, we’re progressing.”
Alcantar was the Panthers best defender but they moved
him up to help out with the scoring since he’s done well attacking. But with Angeles picking up goals over the past couple of games for the team Alcantar will likely go back to defender and help solidify the team’s defense.
“Scoring goals has been kinda tough for us but we’ve been getting some from Ricardo Angeles,” Gutierrez said. “He’s only a sophomore, he’s been getting some. Ivan has also been scoring.”
On Wednesday, Porterville hosts Mission Oak (6-12-3, 4-1 EYL) while Monache looks to keep improving at Tulare Union (12-8-2, 4-1 EYL).
“We’re a very young team with only two seniors,” Romero said. “So I think that we’re going to do well moving forward. We just got to keep them in a positive mindset.”