Senators rally for 3rd tie of season

Ties are getting to commonplace for the Carson High boys soccer squad these days.

The Senators spotted Damonte Ranch a first-half goal before scoring one of their own to earn a 1-1 tie Wednesday night in a Sierra League soccer match.

Carson is now 2-1-3 entering Saturday's road game at Wooster.

Carson coach Mehdi Samii was happy with the way his team bounced back from a sub-par first half. The Senators seemed a step behind whether it was getting to a ball or even getting off a pass.

"There was no hustle," said Samii, who subbed freely in the opening 40 minutes in an effort to find the right combination. "Our midfielders were getting beat to the ball. We were also playing airball and that's not our game. At halftime, we (the coaching staff) told them to play to the feet.

"We played much better in the second half. It was a tale of two different halves. We possessed the ball more. That's how we play; how we practice."

That strategy enabled Carson to dominate the second half in terms of scoring chances.

In the 50th minute, Carson tied the game at 1 when Cristian Hernandez chipped one over Tyler Scott.

Hernandez had several good looks at the goal in the final 40 minutes, but his kicks, though between the pipes, kept sailing high over the crossbar. His last attempt was a free kick in the 79th minute.

"We got it through two center midfielders, and I was able to chip it over the goalie," Hernandez said. "I seem to be leaning back when I kick the ball instead of leaning forward.

"This was a game we needed to win. Wooster will be a harder game than tonight. Wooster is more aggressive; more like Hug."

Francisco Barrios also had a close miss in the second half, shooting it wide left in the 63rd minute.

Damonte's best look came in the 62nd minute, but Jose Efren Garcia missed wide left.

Carson had a god chance to get on the board when Barrios was dragged down by a defender in the penalty box, resulting in a free kick. Jon Guevara took the kick, but Scott made a sensational dive and knocked it away.

It was Carson's third missed penalty kick in six matches. They missed PKs against Reno and McQueen.

"If we could have made that PK it would have been a lot different story," Samii said. "If it's soft that's what happens. It's mental right now for our guys (on penalty kicks)."

The Mustangs had a nice run in the 30th minute, but were unable to get a shot off. About two minutes later, the Mustangs broke the scoreless tie when Trey Anderson poked in Luis Vasquez' shot that went off the crossbar.

Carson got off three clean shots in the last five minutes of the first half, but all were either high over the crossbar or wide.

Damonte had a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the waning seconds of the opening half, but James Wilson and Garcia misfired.

• Carson got two first-half goals from Brandon Hernandez en route to a 4-2 win over Damonte Ranch in JV action.

Adam Gutierrez scored Carson's first goal of the contest in the 18th minute.