ELKO — The Elko boys soccer team is still alive in its bid for its first berth in the 3A state tournament since 2021. On Monday, the Indians — who have come up a win shy of a state qualification in each of the last two years — reached the 3A North regional semifinal for the third-consecutive season. In thrilling fashion, East No.
1 Elko prevailed in a 3-2 overtime victory over West No. 4 Incline in the quarterfinal round during a seesaw battle. The Indians took the lead in the sixth minute.
Junior Sorel Barajas fired a shot from the left wing, but the ball deflected and bounced back toward the middle to junior Jonathan Goda — who hammered a line drive into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage. Incline worked a corner kick, but Elko’s defense in the back end was sharp due to the play of juniors Devon Jacobs, Edgar Montes and Andre Taylor. Barajas had one shot deflected, pushed an attempt into the outside of the frame and saw another saved.
For the Highlanders, direct kicks by senior Samuel Lager, sophomore Jackson Mangiaracina and junior Alexis Soto were either saved by Elko senior goalie Ricardo Ramirez or flew off target. Incline was unable to convert on a corner kick, and a shot by Gosda was saved on the other end. On a direct kick by Barajas, several Indians placed their heads on follow-up opportunities but none of the tries found their ways into the net.
Barajas pushed a shot over the crossbar, and the Highlanders tied the tally a minute before the break. In .