Tigers Fall In 3-2 Thriller

PRESCOTT - The Waits­burg Prescott Tigers experienced two different levels of opponents within 24 hours and two opposite scoreboard results.

WP dismantled the new soc­cer program of Class 1B Valley Christian of Spokane, 10-0, on Friday, then lost a 3-2 thrill­er to defending Oregon Class 3A/2A/1A champion Riverside of Boardman, Ore., on Saturday.

Friday's game against Valley Christian was over by the 30th minute, when WP head coach Mark Grimm pulled all his starters save two for "leadership purposes."

Lino Diaz tallied a hat trick within the first 13 minutes, and added a fourth goal unassisted in the 20th minute.

Alberto Mendez buried two markers in the 18th and 54th minutes. Rodrigo Gonzales scored two of his own late in the first half. The score at half­time was 7-0.

Enrique Balderas and Jesse Albarran also tallied goals for the Tigers. Enrique Balderas had two assists, Mendez two assists, and Diaz, Gonzalez, Johnny Escalante, and Ernesto Valdovi­nos each added an assist apiece. WP goalkeeper Antonio Benito scooped up two saves.

Saturday's match against Riverside looked to be another goal scoring bonanza-albeit more equally-as the Pirates and Tigers combined for five goals in the first half.

Diaz put the first point of the game on the board at the 6-min­ute mark. Taking a pass from Mendez at the left side of the net, Diaz shot into an open goal from point-black range 6 feet out.

Riverside striker Francisco Velasquez tied the game up in the 21st minute with a perfect, bending free kick from well out­side the 18-yard box, that sailed high beyond the reach of WP goalkeeper Sergio Gonzalez and just under the crossbar for a goal.

Diaz put the Tigers back into the lead with a goal that owed much to a perfectly placed free kick by WP Captain Fernando Escalante. Escalante shot the ball over the defense to Diaz who headed it out of the air and high into the goal from 15-yards out. The Riverside goalie could only stand and watch the ball fly feet above his reach and into the net.

Late in the first half momen­tum shifted. WP, who'd been on the attack for most of the first half, became passive. Riverside took over as the aggressor in the last 10 minutes of half and it showed. Riverside knotted the game at 2-2 in the 35th minute with a goal by midfielder/forward Edgar Rodri­guez. The Pirates broke through a lapsing WP defense again minutes later to take the lead on Alexis Mendoza's looping boot over goalie Antonio Benito into the right side of the net.

Mendoza's goal at 37:06 proved to be the game winner as neither team scored in the second half. Fewer shots were taken by both teams in that half, and Riverside appeared to sit back in a more defen­sive formation. WP finished with 14 shots on goal in the game-only five in the second half. Sergio Gonzalez started in goal for the Tigers, but a nagging injury forced him to leave in the first half in favor of the freshman Benito. Gon­zalez finished with two saves, Benito, three.

WP is now 6-2 on the sea­son, and undefeated in District 9 play. The Tigers play at D9 foe Walla Walla Valley Acad­emy on Wednesday at 4 p.m. On Friday, they play host to St. George's hoping to avenge their only in-state loss of the season. That game is also at 4 p.m. in Prescott.