Kevin Duenas kicks the ball back into play during Fallon's soccer match against Sparks.
After a rough first half, the Greenwave boys’ soccer team pulled together to deny the Sparks Railroaders a mercy rule victory, 7-0, Wednesday.
Fallon had a hard start to the match. In the first 10 minutes Sparks nailed four nearly unopposed goals. Fallon coach Nathan Toigo said his players were asleep and not playing the way they have the last few matches. As the Greenwave came up to speed, the first half ended 6-0.
The second half was the return of the Greenwave from last week. The team rallied and held the Railroaders back with heavy defensive pressure. While Sparks scored another goal at 25:20, they were denied the last one needed to end the match early and went the full 40 minutes of the half.
“They were definitely playing a little bit better; they were more aggressive and were challenging them (Sparks) more,” Toigo said of the second half. “We just need to get better at our first touches, get better at our passes, get better at our basics.”
He added that Sparks was waiting for the Fallon players to make mistakes and capitalized on the opportunities.
The coach commended Kevin Maya and Caden Bowman for defense. He said the pair were a big help on reducing goals and causing problems for Sparks. Cesar Molina also was commended for his aggressive play. He came out of the goal in the second half, replaced by Max Albright, and was a powerhouse for Fallon.
“He’s got the energy and he’s got the skill,” Toigo said. “It’s good to see that.”
He commended the Greenwave defense as a whole. He said they all worked hard to reduce Sparks’ goals.
Toigo also praised Albright for taking over in the goal. The coach is building him up as a secondary goalkeeper; he said Albright is a large player with lots of skill who can learn the position.
The boys’ soccer team takes on Spring Creek Friday, then Elko Saturday; both matches are away. Toigo said Spring Creek and Elko are both full of big players who use size and speed to attack the goal.
“We just have to prepare for the long, fast guys,” Toigo said. “Maybe hold out back, get them in the off-side track.”
