Boys soccer: Chiawana earns regional berth

Fernando Gutierrez made three clutch saves in the shootout to help Chiawana top Walla Walla 1-0 in a shootout Thursday in a Class 4A District 5 elimination game in Pasco.

Gutierrez made saves on Walla Walla’s first, third and fifth attempts in the shootout.

“I’ve never seen a goal keeper make three saves in a shootout before,” Chiawana coach Rich Zoller said. “It is huge. It is huge for our program and for this particular group of kids. We started the season out pretty slow, but these kids worked really hard.”

Cezar Leon, Anieph Grandison and Bertin Mendoza all scored in the shootout for Chiawana, which earns a regional berth with the victory. The Riverhawks will play Pasco High at 1 p.m. Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium in the district title match.

Walla Walla’s Esteban Ojeda and Francisco Sanchez scored in the shootout, while goalie Mason Ahrens made five saves overall.

Scoring—Shootout goals (Chiawana 3-2)—Chiawana, Cezar Leon, Anieph Grandison, Bertin Mendoza; Walla Walla, Esteban Ojeda, Francisco Sanchez. Shots—Walla Walla 6, Chiawana 12. Saves—Walla Walla, Mason Ahrens, 5; Chiawana, Fernando Gutierrez, 3

This story was originally published May 8, 2014 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Boys soccer: Chiawana earns regional berth."