Tigers Roll Valley Christian

SPOKANE - The WP Tigers advanced their record to 9-4 Friday, after beat­ing the second-year Valley Christian soccer team 3-0.

"We played really well," assistant coach Jay Potts said about his team's first- ever encounter with the Panthers, another young program.

In particular, WP took advantage of the scoring opportunities when they presented themselves in the often crowded box in front of their opponents' goal.

"They're very defensive- minded," Potts said about the Panthers. "They pack the box and you're scoring not so much against the goalie as the crowd."

Of the Tigers' 28 shots on goal, three went in. The first was a rebound from a de­fensive deflection. Ernesto Valdovinos took a shot that bounced back from one of the Valley Christian players and Ivan Figueroa moved up and in for the kill in the 9th minute.

This surge towards the net after an attack is some­thing the coaches have been working on, Potts explained. "We've been trying to shove this down their throats: you can't stand around (after an attack). You have to antici­pate mistakes.

"When a striker on one forward wing takes a shot on goal, one or more play­ers on the opposite side of the goal need to move up to pick up any rebound, deflec­tion or loose ball," he said. The Tigers have five play­ers forward, most of whom shoot the ball hard, which sometimes bounce off a defender and present a new scoring opportunity WP is increasingly cashing in on.

"We're crashing well right now," as Potts de­scribed it.

Rodrigo Gonzalez scored the Tigers' second goal in the 19th minute. He was as­sisted by mid fielder Alberto Mendez. WP went into the halftime break ahead 2-0.

During the second half, Christian Caro, who played forward and left the goal in the capable hands of Oscar Garcia, scored on another rebound in the 46th minute. Caro had one save in the first half, Garcia had two in the second half, underscoring the inactivity in front of the Tigers' goal.

"They're not an offensive threat," Potts said about the Panthers, whose shots on the Tigers' goal were few and far between.

The team from north of Spokane hasn't won a game this year, has scored only one goal and has given up 58 points during the season.

WP plays Dayton at home Wednesday and Ir­rigon at home on Senior Night on Friday. With a 3-0 league record, the Tigers are virtually guaranteed a playoff spot and likely will first play Northport on Nov. 2. The location of the Tigers' first playoff game has not yet been decided, Potts said.