SALINAS VALLEY — Two goals in the first half were not enough for the King City High boys’ soccer team as they finished in a 2-2 tie with host Soledad last Tuesday night.
Deon Rodriguez and Abiel Gomez gave the Mustangs a 2-0 first-half lead, but Soledad fought back in the second half with goals by Alfredo Garcia and Jesus Ortiz to earn the stalemate.
“We had a successful penalty kick in the first half by Deon Rodriguez and then the goal by Jesus Ortiz, and it looked like we had the game in hand,” said King City head coach Jaime Cortes. “I made some changes on the field and it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go.”
King City is 1-3-1 with two games left in 2024, at home against Everett Alvarez on Dec. 19 and at Seaside on Dec. 21, both of which took place after press deadlines.
Soledad head coach Genaro Espinoza was pleased with the Aztecs’ (0-3-1) play in the second half.
“The team responded well coming back to tie the game,” Espinoza said. “We went down and scored and that speaks very well about the team’s character. We missed a penalty in the first half, but that did not discourage us from taking over the game.”
GIRLS’ SOCCER
The Soledad girls’ soccer team improved to 7-1-0 in the pre-season as they overwhelmed the visiting Gonzales Spartans by an 11-1 score last Wednesday evening.
Scoring and assisting on goals for Soledad were: Giselle Zepeda (one goal, one assist); Michelle Campos (one goal, one assist); Nichole Gonzales (two goals, one assist); Vanessa Aguilar (two goals, one assist); Myrin Amilpa (three goals); Maria Sanchez (one goal); Alex Ruacho (one goal, one assist); Michelle Aguilar (one goal); and Fabiola Mandujano (one assist).
“It is good the last game of the year was a win,” said Soledad head coach Victor Garcia. “Earning our seventh win was good too.”
Alessandra Tejeda scored the lone goal for Gonzales with a penalty kick in the second half. Tejeda played consistently at midfield, and Grecia Valdez was applauded for her work at controlling the defense.
Gonzales completed the pre-season with a 1-5-0 record.
