It has been proven that no matter where the Lowry High School boys soccer team and Spring Creek are in the Northern 3A, the two rivals are going to put on a show for the crowd.
That is what happened again Wednesday in Winnemucca. The Buckaroos grabbed the early lead in the first half, but the Spartans scored twice in the second half to escape with a 2-1 victory.
“It’s hard to lose a game like this and have a season like this,” said Lowry coach Steve Swanson. “We are playing hard and doing the best we can. It is just one of those seasons. I just want the guys to keep their heads up for the rest of the season.”
Spring Creek pushed the action in the first half, but could not find the back of the net on the opportunities it had. Cody McDondald broke free in the 12th minute but could not convert and Mason Dixon missed on the rebound. Brennen Moon sailed a shot over the net in the 19th minute
The Spartans (3-6-2 Northern 3A, 5-12-2 overall) kept the pressure up, only to see their shots stopped by Buckaroo goalkeeper Christian Collazo.
Lowry (2-9 Northern 3A, 3-12 overall) broke the scoreless tie in the 29th minute, as Diego Gudino headed in his own miss and past Spencer Woodland.
“These games (with Lowry) are always battles,” said Spring Creek coach Leaf Knotts. “They always come out and defend their home field tough and create problems for us. They came out hard and punched us in the mouth. We had our chances in the first half and I felt we left goals out on the field. You have to give credit to Lowry’s goalkeeper. I thought he played fantastic. He did what a goalkeeper should do.”
After having a shot by Spencer Pemelton go off the cross bar in the 42nd minute, Spring Creek equalized the match in the 47th minute off a corner kick by Pemelton. Ryan Miner finished off the goal after a previous save just moments earlier by Collazo.
Lowry had its chance to back in front in the 56th minute off a free kick by Gudino from just outside the 18-yard box. However, his shot sailed above the net.
Pemelton provided the game-winning goal in the 67th minute, when his hard shot from 20 yards out found the bottom corner of the net.
“This builds some momentum for us,” Knotts said. “We are sixth right now and will probably remain there. The only way we can get in, is keep winning and get help. It started with this game. We have been like Lowry this year and have been competitive with the teams we have played. We just haven’t got over the hump and its frustrating. The league is tough this year. You put some our top teams in the 4A and they are winning tournaments.”
The Buckaroos had their chances to tie the contest late in the second half, but Woodland stopped a shot by Gudino in the 77th minute.
“I thought we played well today,” Swanson said. “We just have to create some breaks. I am proud of the way we are playing. We have been dealt some lemons, we just need to find a way to turn it into lemonade.”
Lowry boys crush Greenwave
The Greenwave boys’ soccer team played a tough match against Lowry Saturday, Oct. 8, losing 11-3.
The game was intense, and both teams brought strong offensive plays. The action was constantly shifting across the field as the players fought for possession. Over the course of the first half, the Greenwave would push into a scoring position, but the Buckaroos never gave an opening to shoot through.
Fallon also played a good defense, but Lowry was able to push through to launch the ball into the net. Late in the match, though, Fallon pushed through as well, allowing Cesar Molina to secure the Greenwave’s first goal of the game. At halftime, Lowry led 6-1.
In the second half the Buckaroos got a leg up on Fallon, quickly pushing through several goals. Their lead quickly rose to 10-1, though there was still enough time on the clock.
As time ticked down, Fallon rallied and pressed the attack; the offense pushed through, allowing Molina to score two more goals. The defense also came back strong with goalkeeper Caden Bowman stopping the ball and keeping Lowry from scoring more goals on numerous occasions. In the end, though, Fallon was unable to pull back enough and the game closed with Lowry in the lead.
Swanson noted this was their second win of the league season and their scoring has needed improvement.
“We’ve been getting our butts kicked,” he said. “Not bad, most games were pretty close.”
Like Fallon, Lowry has a fairly young team comprised mostly of first time players. According to Swanson, it has been especially hard since one of the few returning players with field experience has been injured most of the season.
Fallon coach Miguel Orduna said he was proud of his team after the game. He said they played hard and performed well. The team has been working hard on the technical aspects of the game with moving the ball and covering the field.
“They were awesome today,” Orduna said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
He was especially impressed with the team’s endurance. With no substitutes, the boys had to be on the field constantly and keep up their energy; throughout the game, the team never slowed down and kept up the same level of intensity. The coach felt this showed how big the team’s heart is and that they would be able to do great things in the future.
Lahontan Valley News reporter Adam Robertson contributed to this story.
