SPRING CREEK — Some mental lapses and defensive breakdowns were the ultimate reasons for the Elko boys soccer team’s loss in the first game of the Spring Creek Cup. The Indians — playing with an extremely-young roster — gave up four first-half goals to North Tahoe and fell by a final score of 4-1. Aside from a booming from distance by No.
10 — names not listed on the Lakers’ roster on MaxPreps — the bulk of North Tahoe’s offensive success was due to steals and/or Elko turnovers deep in the Indians’ territory in front of their own net. Trailing 4-0 at the half, Elko emerged a different squad after the break on both ends of the field. Junior Zuriel Mildren fired a shot that was deflected long and beyond the end line, and sophomore Teagan Perez’s ensuing corner kick flew over the crowd to the far side of the field.
With better possession and cleaner passes, the Indians began to find scoring opportunities — senior Braxton Medina flying a cross from the right side wide to the left of the opposite post. Junior Sorel Barajas was awarded a direct kick from outside the box on the right side — benefiting from a foul drawn by freshman Aiden Avila — but the attempt missed high and to the left. Avila then pushed a try into the outside of the net on the right after a diagonal pass from Barajas.
Perez launched a direct from distance on the left edge that bounced away from the goalie, but Elko was late on the follow-up attempt. On the other side, Elko freshman keeper Santiago Garibay made a nice save against a clean look by No. 11.
The Lakers created another scoring chance moments later, but the kick by No. 17 sailed over the frame. Garibay collected another stop on a long direct kick by the Lakers, and the Indians turned defense into offense — notching their only goal of the contest.
Perez was fouled just inside the 18-yard box on a shot, and Barajas was granted the penalty kick — sticking his try into the lower-right side of the net around the 64th minute. Barajas nearly cashed his second score minutes later, narrowly missing on a beautiful cross from the right side to just high and barely wide of the far-left corner. Perez had an attempt turned away after a pass from Barajas, and the game drew to a close with consecutive misses — one wide to the right and the other stopped by North Tahoe’s goalie — by Medina.
The Indians won the second-half battle 1-0 but lost the war with the Lakers by a final score of 4-1. Elko was scheduled to play Eldorado at 3 p.m.
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