Boys’ soccer finds their groove, defeats Alta Loma 4-1
Stingy defense combined with an explosion of goals in the second half propel the team to a big win
Antonio Aguilar drives the ball through the Alta Loma defense to score his second half goal.
Colton, CA—It took a little while to get into the flow of the game, but once the Yellowjackets did, it was all over for the Alta Loma Braves.
The Yellowjackets, coming off a frustrating 2-1 loss on Monday against Upland High School, let their defense do the talking in the first half before exploding for three goals in the second half on their way to a decisive 4-1 victory.
“Everybody played well,” team captain Ghael Razo said. “Sometimes it takes a little bit to get used to playing another team, but everyone did good.”
Early in the first half, that feeling out period lasted for close to twenty minutes as the Yellowjackets spent most of their time chasing Alta Loma around in their own zone. The Braves took seven shots on goal in the first half, putting lots of pressure on the Yellowjacket defense. But center-midfielder Jose Ruvalcaba kept his teammates poised, and the defense held their own.
First blood was drawn with 3:14 left in the first half, when Dario Bravo scored on an assist from Ghael Razo.
“I haven’t been on the score sheet for awhile,” Bravo said, “so it felt good to have my flow back.”
When the Yellowjackets returned from halftime, they made the appropriate adjustments, taking away Alta Loma’s long crosses in the backfield by playing a few steps back. This forced several errors by the Braves, and the Yellowjackets capitalized. At the 24:55 mark, Fernando Corona scored again, assisted by Antonio Aguilar, causing Alta Loma to switch out their goalies.
But the Yellowjackets were not done for the night. With 11:40 remaining in the half, Gael Gonzales took off on a breakaway and knocked the ball through the net. Then, with 7:48 left in the game, Antonio Aguilar added a goal to his earlier assist as he fought through the defense.
Alta Loma scored their goal in extra time after all the Yellowjacket starters were pulled from the game.
“I saw an eagerness to win,” head coach Jose Ruvalcaba said proudly. “I keep telling my guys: ‘Any team that wants to come to Colton is going to have a hard time getting any points from us from now on.'”
The Yellowjackets return to the field on Friday for a grudge match against local rivals Grand Terrace High School. Game time is at 5:00 p.m.
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