Angel Gonzalez battles with a Galena player Wednesday evening at the Jim Frank Track and Field Complex.
For the second straight game, the Carson High boys soccer team played short-handed down the stretch.
Saturday, they actually outscored Douglas High following Guillermo Perez’s ejection after receiving a second yellow card.
Wednesday, the Senators weren’t so fortunate.
Efren Ramirez received a red card after a collision with Galena keeper Francisco Cazares, and nine minutes later, Jesus Alvarez scored his second goal of the game to wipe out a 2-1 deficit and give the Grizzlies a 2-2 tie against first-place Carson at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
It was certainly a bitter pill to swallow, as Carson dominated the game. The Senators unofficially outshot Galena by a 14-4 margin. And the ejection of Ramirez means he will miss Saturday’s home match against Bishop Manogue.
Depending on the Wooster result from Wednesday, the Senators remain in first by at least three points.
“It is tough when you are a man down,” said Carson’s Isael Lopez, who gave Carson a 2-1 late in the second half.
Carson coach Frank Martinez said he disagreed with the call, but would not discuss it any further.
“Overall, I thought the boys played very well,” Martinez said. “We needed to finish a little better tonight. Angel (Gonzalez) is normally a good finisher, but he was off tonight. He had a couple of good opportunities.
“Coach (Marco) Merlo from Galena said we are a powerhouse and they were lucky to get a point tonight.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Gonzalez gave Carson a 1-0 lead when he followed in a Lopez shot. Lopez admitted he didn’t connect solidly, but Cazares was unable to hold on, and Gonzalez was right there to clean it up.
The Senators had a couple of good attacks in the last 15 minutes but were unable to finish.
In the 49th minute, Alvarez knotted the game at 1, and Carson’s Gonzalez had two great opportunities to put his team ahead.
Cazarez came out on a ball in the 51st minute, leaving the goal open.
Gonzalez fired a hard shot on goal that Galena’s Ricardo Martinez deflected. Had Gonzalez gone for either corner, he probably would have scored.
A minute later, Galena again failed to clear the ball, and Cazares took a big risk and came out again. This time Gonzalez had a wide-open look, but his shot went wide left.
Ramirez picked up his red card in the 64th minute when he and Cazares went to the ground. When the center official held up the red card, the Carson fans booed. The center official threatened to forfeit the game to Galena unless the crowd quieted.
Galena’s Cole Matteson was turned away by Jose Rodriguez in the 67th minute, and Gonzalez’s shot was deflected in the 69th minute.
Lopez gave the Senators a 2-1 lead when he blasted a ball from 35 yards out on a direct free kick into the left corner of the net.
“I was trying to hit that corner,” Lopez said, adding he had a direct free kick in the first meeting against Galena, and he went for the right corner, thus the reason for shaking things up a bit.
Galena evened the score in the 77th minute when Alvarez managed to get past Carson defender Christian Martinez and beat Rodriguez.
“They (the defenders) misjudged it (the play) and he went through them,” coach Martinez said of Alavarez. “He is really fast.”
Osvaldo Gomez was turned away in the 78th minute and that was the last scoring opportunity for either team.
