Douglas' David Jauregui-Fausto (11) attempts a shot in the box while Elko defender Jeremy Ankomah slides in to stop him.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Up until the final moments Saturday afternoon, Douglas High boys soccer had a chance to send visiting Elko home with a loss.
Throughout the second half, the Tigers were putting chances all around Elko’s net but couldn’t quite get the attempt on frame they needed, tying their 3A counterparts, 1-1.
Both Douglas and Elko scored inside of the opening 15 minutes with the Tigers’ goal coming from Joseph Guariglia.
For the next 65 minutes the contest remained tied, despite Douglas’ best effort.
In the 80th minute, Douglas had its best opportunity to break the tie since the first half.
David Juaregui-Fausto found the head of Alexander Diaz, who pushed the ball slightly over the crossbar.
The final whistle sounded moments after the effort.
“We do well when we keep the ball on the ground,” said Douglas head coach Ricky Diaz. “We just were not precise when it came to putting one in the net. It was a good matchup.”
(Joseph Guariglia puts a header on net Saturday against Elko / Carter Eckl)
In the first half, Douglas had back-to-back chances within a few moments of each other.
Douglas was awarded a penalty kick after a handball inside the box.
However, a diving save by Elko keeper Eric Azcue deflected the ball wide with his outstretched legs.
Less than a minute later, Douglas had a free kick, which had a rebound opportunity come loose.
A timely sliding tackle by Azcue cleared the chance.
It was a similar style of attack in the second half as the Tigers put opportunites all around the goal frame.
“We’ve been working on putting that ball on the second post through the flank,” said Diaz. “It’s not necessarily a shot, but we’re just trying to pick up a rebound or pick somebody up on the post.”
It nearly worked off the free kick in the 37th minute Saturday.
Inside of the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Tigers had already put three shots up.
Possession allowed Douglas to dictate the pace of play and limit the chances coming back the other way.
“We had some nice shots. It’s just one point instead of three points,” said Diaz. “If we are going to win games we are gong to win collectively and we’ve been working on building out of the back like that.”
Even though the team may have been looking for three points in a winning effort, the Tigers are still yet to suffer defeat early on this fall after dominating Spring Creek Friday.
UP NEXT: Douglas (3-0-2) hosts McQueen (6-0) Thursday night in a battle of the unbeaten.To read the Tigers' season outlook, follow this link:
https://www.recordcourier.com/news/2021/sep/13/riding-high-early/
(Gustavo Villalobos battles with Elko's Spenser Jones for possession Saturday / Carter Eckl)
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