Valley Soccer Teams Make And Meet Goals

PRESCOTT -- The Tigers and the Bulldogs measured their progress quite differently in Tuesday's matchup at Prescott.

Superficially, the score would put them light years apart. WP swept Dayton away, 12-1. But the fully expected lopsided result masked underlying fundamental improvements for each team as they march toward the end of the soccer season.

The Tigers are now 9-1- 2, having recently lost its first regular-season game. The goal is to sharpen its team skills to ready themselves for the playoffs, head coach Mark Grimm said.

The Bulldogs are 3-9, arguably the best record in recent years, and the team is beginning to play better managed soccer with an emphasis on strategy rather than random boot ball, head coach DJ Frame said.

In a recent game against Walla Walla Valley Academy, a team the dogs have long been hoping to best, the teams duked it out scorelessly until the very end of the game when the Knights finally managed to get one past goalie Willie Weppler.

"In the WWVA game, they got to see that they can play real soccer," Frame said. "For us, it was phenomenal."

Having met WP on numerous occasions, the soccer dogs knew what they were up against Tuesday, yet they hung in to briefly turn the tables on the Tigers when Adam Strohbehn scored his team's only goal with less than 3 minutes to go in the second half.

It seemed the cheers from the Dayton sideline and supporters were louder than all of the hollering for the 12 Tigers points combined.

The Tigers' scoring lived up to expectations. Francisco Gonzalez booted it in five times, followed by Lino Diaz for two, and Jesse Albarran, Ernesto Valdovinos, Keven Ortega, Aldair Escalante and Luis Torres each with one point.

The Tigers also missed some noteworthy opportunities, including a penalty kick Torres aimed weakly right at Weppler, whose stop was among his many saves of the game, and an easy cross in front of Weppler missed by Gabe Escalante.

Grimm, who said he's pleased with the way the season has gone so far, welcomed the opportunity for many of his second-tier players to sub in for the starters, particularly during the second half.

"We're making progress," he said. "Our goal is to play our best soccer in another two weeks."

Going into the 2011 season wasn't merely a matter of carrying over the 2010 Tigers, Grimm said, explaining he has had seven new starters who are learning each other's habits and those of their other teammates.

The Tigers are still working on their defensive movements as a team, though that was much improved during Tuesday's game in which WP only let one striker slip past its bulwark for the score.

Strohbehn's shot in the top left corner of the goal was beyond goalie Pedro Mendoza's reach.

Despite the Bulldogs' underdog status in the league, Frame said his team can "finish strong." And if the number of players who are sticking it out is any indication, the losses haven't put a damper on students' interest in the sport or the team.

Frame said he started the season with 27 Bulldogs and he now has 28.