KENNEWICK -- The wind whipped heavily through Lampson Stadium on Tuesday, and the Southridge boys soccer team was hoping to take advantage of it.
Even with the heavy gust at their backs, however, the Suns trailed 1-0 with just four minutes left in the first half.
"If the score is 1-0 at the half, I'm pretty sure we're getting a big halftime speech," Southridge forward Jake Zoulek said.
But winds can change quickly. And if you're playing the Suns, so can the score.
The Suns tallied three goals in the last four minutes of the first half -- two of them by Zoulek -- to lift Southridge to a 4-1 league victory. The Suns (7-1, 5-1 CBBN 3A) remain tied with Pasco atop the CBBN 3A standings while Eastmont (4-4, 2-4) dropped into a tie for fifth.
"I think this speaks to the talent we have on this team. Everybody's excited to see what this team can do," said Zach Russell, who got the ball rolling with a goal in the 36th minute that tied the score at 1.
Russell's goal couldn't have come at a better time. The Suns were outshooting the Wildcats 9-5 but hadn't had any luck putting one in the net.
Chandler Mertens changed that by making an aggressive charge up the left end line, drawing Eastmont sweeper Juan Rodriguez away from the middle of the field. That's when Mertens found Russell in front of the goal.
"Chandler did the dirty work," Russell said. "I'm proud of the team. We proved we can be resilient."
Once Southridge got a taste of the goal, they began to attack, and Zoulek picked up his sixth and seventh goals of the season in a one-minute span.
The first came off another end-line feed, this time from Adolfo Garcia, and then another off a Bill Landefeld throw in that got flicked toward the goal by Russell and then headed by Zoulek.
"As soon as they got that first goal, they wanted another," Suns coach Chip Elfering said.
Keaton Hale picked up the only goal of the second half on a penalty kick in the 37th minute.
Southridge goalkeeper Jovanny Rodriguez continued his impressive play in goal, making a pair of spectacular point-blank stops on Eastmont shots. He got a bad break on the second one, however, when Ivan Marmolejo pounded home a rebound after Yonaton Rodriguez's initial shot.
The Suns keeper hadn't allowed a goal since stepping into the starting lineup 10 days ago in a 3-0 win over Sunnyside. The Wildcats' goal stopped that scoreless string at 269 minutes, but it didn't faze his teammates' confidence in the sophomore goalie.
"He's really come on this year," Elfering said. "The boys have a lot of trust in him."
Rodriguez's status for Southridge's next game -- against Kamiakin at 1 p.m. Saturday -- is up in the air after the keeper caught his ankle in the turf following a routine save in the 71st minute. He remained on the ground for several minutes before being carried off the field by Elfering and team trainer Andrew Wright.
Elfering said Rodriguez went straight to the hospital but is hopeful that the injury is only a sprain.
Scoring--1, E, Ivan Marmalejo, 29:00; 2, SR, Zach Russell (Chandler Mertens), 36:00; 3, SR, Jake Zoulek (Adolfo Garcia), 38:00; 4, SR, Zoulek (Russell), 39:00; 5, SR, Keaton Hale (PK), 77:00. Shots--E 8, SR 21. Saves--E, Daniel Romero 6. SR, Jovanny Rodriguez 4, James Fort 0 (71:00).
