IN SPORTS: LODI SOCCER OPENS UNDER THE LIGHTS
Home sweet home. The Lodi High boys soccer team played under the lights on Don Rostomily Field on Tuesday night for the first time, hosting Bear Creek in the season opener for both squads.
“This is great,” said new Lodi coach Gregory Devine, who was the frosh-soph coach last winter. “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from ex players, both boys and girls, coming up to talk before the game. We’re going to get better crowds out here, as long as the weather is not like last year.”
The field now boasts six pole lights, with three on the north side where home and visiting teams stand, and the other three on the south where home and away fans can sit — if they bring their own lawn chairs — or stand. The lights were installed over the summer.
Last winter, the Lodi boys and girls soccer programs played all of their home games at the Grape Bowl, which the Tokay boys and girls teams also use. In previous seasons, high school boys soccer games were played in fall, and girls in the spring. But in 2014, the SacJ oaquin Section’s Board of Managers unanimously passed to move both genders to play in the winter starting with the 2016-17 winter season.
Lodi made a gallant effort at a late comeback after giving up a one-goal halftime lead. But the visiting Bruins cooled off the Flames’ rally to post a narrow 3-2 win.
Bear Creek led 3-1 in the 71st minute when Lodi’s Cesar Calderon, taking the soccer ball from a corner kick, used his head to knock the ball into the back of the net to cut the Bruins’ lead to 3-2.
But the Bruins’ defense stopped all offensive efforts by the Flames, who had nine shots on goal in the second half. That made the loss at home under the lights just a little bit tougher to swallow for Lodi.
“That’s a tough one,” Devine told his team after the game.
Three of the shots on goal came in the final nine minutes of the game for the Flames, with two coming from Ivan Romero. Both of his shots were line drive attempts, one of which sailed over the fence on the east side of the field and into the parking lot. Hector Enriquez had the Flames’ shot on goal in the final minutes.
“We did have some good shots,” Devine said. “We had good movement, especially in the first half.”
Lodi (0-1) led 1-0 at the
start of the second half. Then Bear Creek (1-0) tied the game at 1-1 in the 48th minute. Eight minutes later, the Bruins took the lead 2-1 thanks to a corner kick. The final goal came at the 69th minute, also coming from a corner kick that was booted into the middle of the field that set up the line drive shot, to make it 3-1.
In the ninth minute of the game, Lodi’s Luis Sandoval scored the team’s first goal of the season. After that goal, the Flames’ offense had limited touches.
On the other side of the field, Bear Creek tried to generate its offense on cross-field passes and passes. But the Flames countered with solid defense that Devine was hoping his squad would carry over into the final 40 minutes of the game.
“Defense played well,” Devine said. “Good communication.”
Lodi continues its preseason schedule on Thursday, back at home against Will C. Wood of Vacaville.
Girls: Rio Americano 8, Lodi 0
The Flames opened their season in Sacramento, also on Tuesday. But it’ll be an opener Lodi will likely soon forget. In the first half, Rio Americano jumped out to a 6-0 lead.
Today, Lodi will play its first time under the lights at Don Rostomily Field, entertaining Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove at 6 p.m.