Wednesday, May. 20, 2009

Soccer: Bulldogs roll in first round

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

PASCO — Some of the best birthday gifts are the ones you give yourself.

Pasco goalkeeper Emmanuel Martinez found that out during the Bulldogs' 5-0 win over Lewis & Clark on Tuesday in the first round of the 4A state boys soccer playoffs at Edgar Brown Stadium.

The 5-foot-7 junior made seven saves, including a diving stop of a first-half penalty kick, to earn his 14th shutout this season as Pasco (17-0) advanced to Saturday's state quarterfinals against Kamiak (11-8) at 1 p.m. at Edgar Brown.

"I just wanted a win and a shutout," said Martinez, who turned 17 on Tuesday. "I felt like I was going to get tested. I expected a lot of shots.

"This was one of the better games I've had all year."

The Bulldogs offense found another gear as well, scoring five goals against the Greater Spokane League co-champion Tigers (11-5), who were coming off a 1-0 regional win over Kamiakin and had allowed just 10 goals coming into the game.

Senior Paul Herrera picked a good time for the first hat trick of his high school career, heading in a pair of second-half crosses from Marco Acevedo and Jesse Macias to cap the feat.

Herrera and Ricardo Chicas, who scored Pasco's first goal, each have four of Pasco's 14 playoff goals. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll, have averaged 4.67 goals in three postseason games.

"We wanted to set the tone today and come out more intense than we did Saturday," Herrera said of a 4-3 double-overtime regional win over Kennewick, a game that came dangerously close to ending the Bulldogs' season. "I think (LC) got confident because Kamiakin isn't an easy team to beat, and they might have seen Kennewick's record. I think they were a little overconfident."

The Tigers nearly matched Pasco shot-for-shot in the first half, but only two challenged Martinez, a two-time all-league keeper.

Casey Ames, LC's senior captain, found himself all alone about 10 yards off the far post after a cross from Christian Foster. Ames chest-trapped the ball and set up for a shot while Martinez came off his line and closed the distance. By the time Ames was ready to shoot, Martinez was there to smother the shot.

The most impressive stop of all, of course, was his stop of Ames' penalty kick in the 22nd minute after the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead.

"If we got that shot in, I think we go into halftime tied," said LC coach Chris Curtis. "I thought we did a good job penetrating. We just didn't finish. Pasco finished every opportunity they got. That's a damn good team."

At this time last season, the Bulldogs were lamenting a season-ending loss to Eastlake in the first round of state. In that game, Pasco played without three starters -- including captains Marco Acevedo and Brady Espinoza -- after an athletic code violation.

But with the incident far behind him, Acevedo has returned to the form that made him a two-time 4A all-state forward. The Walla Walla Community College-bound senior notched two more assists to raise his playoff total to six. Acevedo has 13 goals and 12 assists overall this year.

"(Acevedo and Herrera) have combined well. Obviously it's important for the guys up top be able to create," said Bulldogs coach Mike Pardini. "I feel better about this win, and they should, too."

Pasco's next opponent, Wesco 4A South champion Kamiak, scored twice in the final three minutes to force a shootout against Mead, then won 5-4 in penalty kicks when Mead's fifth-round shot ricocheted off the post.

"We're going to have to find a scouting report for them," Pardini said. "By now, we should be expecting teams to come in here and play out of their mind."

Pasco 5, Lewis & Clark 0
Scoring—1, P, Ricardo Chicas (Marco Acevedo), 12:00; 2, P, Paul Herrera (Acevedo), 20:00; 3, P, Herrera (Acevedo), 49:00; 4, P, Juan Jimenez (Eddie Mendoza), 65:00; 5, P, Herrera (Jesse Macias), 79:00. Shots—LC 12, P 18. Saves—LC, Chris Hollman 4. P, Emmanuel Martinez 7.

Prosser 3, Quincy 1

PROSSER -- Victor Corona and Mario Cervantez had quick answers to Quincy's early goal, and Prosser notched its third come-from-behind win over the Jacks this season -- this time in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

Scoring—1, Q, Luis Sorto, 9:00. 2, P, Victor Corona (Mynor Maza), 13:00. 3, P, Mario Cervantez, 18:00. 4, P, Memo Correa (Corona), 74:00. Shots—Q 12, P 11. Saves—Q, Cody Beaumont 6. P, Amado Torres 4.

Connell 5, Cashmere 0

CONNELL -- Freddy Barragan scored twice -- on an assist from Christian Torres in the 54th minute and in the 61st on an assist from Jose Alvarado -- as Connell rolled over Cashmere in the first round of the 1A state tournament.

Scoring—1, Con, Christian Torres (Eduardo Arzate) 2:43; 2, Con, Arzate (Freddy Barragan) 10:32; 3, Con, Barragan (Torres) 54:39; 4, Con, Barragan (Jose Alvarado) 61:42; 5, Con, Ismael Lopez (Alvarado) 79:00. Shots—Cash 8, Con 15. Saves—Cash, Hernan Hernandez 10. Con, Heriberto Mendoza 6.

Wahluke 3, Chelan 1
Scoring—1, W, Arnulfo Leon, 68:00; 2, W, Osbaldo Gonzalez, 74:00; 3, C, Samuel Torres, 74:00; 4, W, Saul Roman, 80:00. Shots—W 8, C 7. Saves—W, Manuel Rubalcava 6. C, Tyler Clark 5.

Jack Millikin: 582-1406; jmillikin@tricityherald.com