Montesano goalkeeper Max Urbanski came up big in a penalty-kick shootout against Elma on Monday.
Urbanski saved two of the four shots he faced as the Bulldogs earned a 1-0 1A Evergreen League victory Monday in Monte.
Playing in a consistent drizzle, the two teams battled back-and-forth in the first half, with Elma (2-3-1 overall, 1-2 Evergreen 1A) settling in to gain consistent possession in Monte’s final third of the pitch over the final 10 minutes of the first half.
But the Eagles failed to capitalize on any scoring chances they had as the game remained scoreless entering halftime.
Elma continued to put pressure on Montesano, but Urbanski and the Bulldogs defense continued to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.
“Monte had a good game plan and played very defensive,” Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said. “We had control the whole second half but just didn’t convert.”
Monte (3-4, 3-0) also had its chances to score, mostly on breakout counter-attack. Elma goalkeeper AJ Hernandez was up to the task, however, making goal-saving stops at the end of each half to keep the game scoreless.
Elma had a opportunity to score a golden goal in the overtime period when Josue Torres sent a cross that found the head of Manny Hernandez, but Hernandez’s shot was off-target and the game went to penalty kicks.
Montesano’s Luis Muro, right, races to the ball against Elma’s Rene Duran during Monday’s game at Jack Rottle Field. Monte earned a 1-0 penalty-kick shootout victory. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)
In the shootout, Monte’s leading goal-scorer, Luis Muro, opened with a miss.
Elma’s Aiden Sayers-Hartman put the Eagles on top with a conversion.
Monte’s Veli Ambrocio converted followed by a score from Elma’s Rene Duran.
Montesano’s Yemi Idowu scored to tie the shootout at 2-2 before Urbanski made a save on Josia Jones’ attempt.
Jordan King scored to give Monte a 3-2 lead and was followed by Urbanski’s second-straight save, this time on a penalty shot from Rodrigo Luna.
Monte forward Ben Royer then stepped into the 18-yard box with the game at his foot. The junior sent a low shot that was just out of Hernandez’s reach, giving Monte the 4-2 penalty-kick shootout victory.
Montesano head coach Rick Denholm knows that if his young squad is to play in the postseason, Elma was one of the teams it had to beat.
“We knew the three best teams (in the 1A Evergreen League) going into this season were Forks, Hoquiam and Elma,” he said. “And if we want to be one of those top three playoff teams, we know we have to knock one of them off. Tonight was the first step in that.”
Elma 6, Tenino 1
Canon Seaberg and Josue Torres each scored a pair of goals as the Elma Eagles picked up a league win over Tenino on Friday in Elma.
Elma broke the scoreless tie when Seaberg scored from in close off a ball that was ricocheted around the front of the net in the 12th minute.
Just three minutes later, the Eagles made it 2-0 when Rodrigo Luna scored on a header off a Seaberg corner kick.
In the 30th minute, Torres made a wide run down the left side, beat the Tenino defense to the end line and sent a pass toward the front of the goal. But Torres’ feed hit a Tenino defender and deflected into the net, giving Elma a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Tenino, however, got back in the game with a goal off a direct free kick from just outside the 18-yard box with just five minutes left before the half.
But Elma quickly regained a three-goal advantage when Torres made a near identical run down the left side, got to the end line and sent a pass through the front of the goal that found Seaberg, who put the ball in the back of the net for a 4-1 lead in the 46th minute.
Torres then scored from approximately 25-yards out in the 60th minute followed by a goal from Alexis Bautista in the 72nd minute to pick up the 6-1 win.
With a roster featuring just four seniors, Elma head coach Carson Seaberg was pleased to see his team progress offensively on Friday.
“We got a lot of young guys up front and what we are really trying to do is become more creative in our attack,” he said. “Hopefully, we can continue to build and get more people involved and become dangerous.”
Tenino 1 0 — 1
Elma 3 3 — 6
Top Players: Elma — Torres (2 G, A); Seaberg (2 G); Bautista (G); Luna (G)
WF West 5, Montesano 4
The Montesano Bulldogs held three separate leads during a game against WF West on Friday in Chehalis, but the Bearcats scored two late goals to down Monte.
After WF West scored in the 8th minute to take a 1-0 lead, Montesano tied the game with goal from Luis Muro in the 15th minute. Muro took the ball from 40-yards out, looked up and saw the WF West goalkeeper was off his line, and sent a long shot over his head and into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead when Muro scored on a penalty kick a few minutes later.
WF West tied the game at 2-2 with a goal in the 30th minute, but Monte wasted little time regaining the lead, scoring a goal in the 35th minute when Muro tallied his third of the game off an assist from Jordan King.
But as it would do throughout the game, WF West responded with a goal after halftime to tie the game at 3-3.
In the 65th minute, Muro scored his fourth goal of the game, taking a long clearance from goalkeeper Max Urbanski, maneuvered through the Bearcats’ back line and beat the WF West keeper for a 4-3 Monte lead.
But WF West would have the last laugh, scoring on a penalty kick in the 78th minute followed by a goal off a direct free kick off the top of the 18-yard box in the game’s final minute to escape with the 5-4 win.
With several players unavailable due to injury and other responsibilities, such as Monte’s competition in the Knowledge Bowl, Bulldogs head coach Rick Denholm thought his reserves played well.
“There were some positive things we took out of this game,” he said, adding the Bulldogs were playing in back-to-back games and their third game in four days. “(The reserves) came in, stepped up and gave us a chance to win.”
Montesano 3 1 — 4
WF West 2 3 — 5
Top Players: Montesano — Muro (4 G), King (A)
