Showing Off Defense, Tigers Knock Out Dayton

PRESCOTT -WP took on perennial soccer powerhouse St. George in Spokane last Saturday, and the Tigers did not fare well in their second contest of the season, losing to the Dragons, 4-1.

Luis Fernando Escalante put WP on the scoreboard with penalty kick at the 38 minute mark to make it 2-1 at halftime, but it was the only goal the Tigers could muster.

"We had 17 shots on goal," WP assistant coach Jay Potts said. "They had too many to count. We had a freshman goalie (Antonio Benito) start­ing back there for the first time. He did a great job. Three of their four goals were on great shots no one could have stopped. We just need to get better on defense and better with out footwork."

Coaches say the loss to St. George is a good way to mark improvement throughout the season.

"(St. George's) came ready to play," WP head coach Mark Grimm said. "It was a good measuring stick for us. But it is early. We got thumped, but it's not the end of the season. That's what I wanted to get across to the kids. I want a nice gradual improvement in the kids over the course of the season."

Waitsburg-Prescott's class 2B state soccer title defense began with a bang here last Wednesday as the Tigers knocked off neighboring Dayton, 11-1, in its first game of the season.

Tigers Lino Diaz and Luis Fernando Escalante each notched hat tricks and Diaz nearly did it twice. Diaz boot­ed five goals, Escalante three.

WP's Jonathan Escalante added two more markers, and Oscar Villalvazo Lopez added another. Dayton's Junior Ded­loff tallied the Bulldogs' only goal. WP put 25 shots on goal against the Bulldogs. The Ti­gers' Aldair Escalante led all players with four assists.