San Luis remains perfect
Sidewinders score quick and often to beat the Kings for second time in seven days
With seven combined goals in the opening 16 minutes of play, both San Luis’ and Kofa’s offenses were executing at an alarming rate.
And in the early stages between the cross-town rivals, it seemed whoever would control the ball last in this game would be the winner of this boys soccer match.
However, the Sidewinders clamped down defensively and did not allow the Kings to score another goal in San Luis’ 6-3 victory Thursday night.
“We were ready and we started off with a lot of energy and intensity,” San Luis head coach Jesus Rojas said.
The Sidewinders wasted little time striking first Thursday. After a mishap by a Kofa defender, Erick Mejia found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Mejia easily netted his low stingy kick.
Not even two minutes later, Roberto Uribe was in the right place at the right time after a rebound to get behind the goalie to give San Luis a quick 2-0 lead.
The Kings didn’t down, however.
Tiernan Nicewander, son of Kofa head coach Jamie Nicewander, used his 6-foot-5 height as an advantage inside the box. The sophomore forward found the back of the net within a six minute span to tie the game at two apiece.
“He’s stepping up big time,” Nicewander said. “It’s a huge advantage (having his height). Unfortunately, we’re not getting enough balls inside the box and that’s putting us behind the eight ball.”
Despite the quick answers from the Kings, the Sidewinders scored less than 60seconds later to regain the lead. Kofa answered in half the time, but it was the shot by San Luis’ junior striker Davia Murillo that changed the course of the game.
Tied at three, Murillo, who made his season debut after sitting out due to transfer rules, blasted a rocket off his right shoe from 35-yards out into the top portion of the net and the kick certainly wowed the home Kofa fans despite their team allowing the goal.
And it was a moment Mu
See lie
rillo has been waiting for since joining the Sidewinders.
“That was a very special goal for him,” Rojas said. “That was his first game because he had to sit out due to him transferring. He’s been waiting on Kofa. It was amazing.”
In Thursday’s win, San Luis relied on five different goal scorers, an offensive scheme much different from years past. The Sidewinders legitimately have four or five different players who can deliver scoring opportunities and it puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses.
Erick Quirarte added two goals of his own, while Eduardo Noriega scored one.
“Usually, it’s just the center forward,” Rojas said, “but this year, it’s going to be really hard for teams to mark one player because there’s multiple guys just as good. It’s really an advantage for us with our options.”
Besides the variety of goal scorers, Rojas’ team looks and feels different when on the field.
The San Luis program
has long been one of the best in town, but has never brought home a state title. After a 6-0 start to the season, there’s a possibility the Sidewinders can compete for a championship.
However, the goal for Rojas’ team is to stay level-headed and take one game at a time.
“We’re trying to not get overly confident,” he said. “We talked to our guys and told them we’re doing good, but there’s some things we can improve on. There’s still work to be done and they know that.”