RAL boys soccer beats Woodland to takes league's 3rd place
R.A. Long went ahead 1-0 near the start of the match and added four more goals to take a 5-0 victory over Woodland in the 2A Greater St. Helens League boys soccer clash on Thursday at Longview Memorial Stadium.
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With the win, the Jacks improved to 7-4 overall with a 5-3 mark in the league, taking over sole possession of third place. Woodland fell into a three-way tie for fourth place at 6-5 overall and 4-4 in league.
R.A. Long got back at Woodland following a 2-1 loss to the Beavers a month ago.
"That feels like it was a year ago," R.A. Long coach Max Anderson said.
Andres Orozco started things off quickly in the third minute for R.A. Long with a long strike for a goal off of a pass from Alex Wooden. Anjel De La Trinidad then put R.A. Long up 2-0 right before halftime off of a corner kick from Junior Valdivia-Guzman.
R.A. Long boys soccer: Andres Orozco
R.A. Long's Andres Orozco dribbles the ball down the field during a boys soccer match against Woodland on Thursday, April 16, at Longview Memorial Stadium. Orozco finished with two goals and R.A. Long coach Max Anderson said he was "holy terror defensively."
Early in the second half, Woodland's goalkeeper Julian Esparza-Alvez made an acrobatic save off of a shot from Orozco, but Valdivia-Guzman was there to punch in the deflection for a goal. Esparza-Alvez was diving for saves all night, finishing with 10 in total.
"We didn't get the result we wanted, but I want to make sure Julian Esparza-Alvez gets recognized," Woodland coach Dave Tallbut said. "Ten saves tonight was a special effort. R.A. Long is a quality side, and Julian kept us in it longer than the scoreline suggests."
Woodland boys soccer: Julian Esparza-Alvez
Woodland goalkeeper Julian Esparza-Alvez takes a goal kick during a boys soccer match against R.A. Long on Thursday, April 16, at Longview Memorial Stadium. Esparza-Alvez finished with 10 saves for the Beavers as he was diving to protect the net all night long.
In the 50th minute, Jayden Rowland received a pass from Valdivia-Guzman and then launched a bazooka from about 30 yards out to find the back of the net. Orozco then rounded out the scoring with another goal on a free kick in the 78th minute.
"Tonight, what I was happy about was that the kids were locked in," Anderson said. "They were focused; they understood the importance of this match."
R.A. Long's Jayden Rowland, Woodland's Sebastian Quiroz-Lopez
R.A. Long's Jayden Rowland, right, and Woodland's Sebastian Quiroz-Lopez fight for the ball during their boys soccer match on Thursday, April 16, at Longview Memorial Stadium. Rowland scored a goal from about 30 yards out.
The defensive core of Alex Wooden, Ethan Pittsley, Joey Merchant, and Alexis Soto-Vazquez was solid all night and didn't give Woodland too many opportunities to score. R.A. Long goalkeeper Landon Irwin recorded four saves to keep the clean sheet. Orozco's defensive play also stood out to Anderson.
"I thought he was a holy terror defensively," he said. "He did a really nice job of breaking up possession for Woodland."
R.A. Long boys soccer: Ethan Pittsley
R.A. Long's Ethan Pittsley takes a free kick during a boys soccer match against Woodland on Thursday, April 16, at Longview Memorial Stadium. Pittsley was stellar on defense and helped the Jacks shutout the Beavers.
The Jacks now sit just one game behind Hockinson for second place, where they need to finish to host a district playoff game when the time comes. They face the Hawks on the road at 7 p.m. on Friday, following games against Mark Morris on Monday and Hudson's Bay on Wednesday, both at 7:30 p.m. at Longview Memorial Stadium.
"Finishing in the top two is really important, and that's our goal," Anderson said. "Keep knocking folks off and picking up wins. That's kind of the order of the day."
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