Weiser takes pair of losses, beats Fruitland 1-0

Published by admin on Wed, 09/13/2023 - 9:45am

Wolverines’ goalkeeper Diego Delgadillo is pictured making one of 10 saves he recorded in Weiser’s 1-0 conference win over Fruitland on Thursday, Sept. 7. The teams put up both tough offense and defense in the game, with Wolverine Santiago Perez scoring the goal midway through the second half. Weiser took 10 shots in the game, eight of them on goal. The team will play at McCall-Donnelly on Thursday, Sept. 12 for another conference match. Photo by Nancy Grindstaff

Wolverine Ivan Alvarez (23) goes for the ball in Weiser’s match against Payette on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Weiser took a 2-0 loss in the game, with Payette scoring both goals in the second half. The Wolverines and Pirates will see each other again on Sept. 21 in Weiser. Photo by Philip Janquart
By: 
Nancy Grindstaff and Philip Janquart
After a pair of conference losses in the early going of the season, Weiser’s Wolverines turned the page at home Thursday, Sept. 7, defeating Fruitland’s Grizzlies 1-0, moving their overall record to 2-2.
 Both teams put up big efforts on defense and offense, holding the score to 0-0 well into the second half. With around 17 minutes left on the clock, Weiser’s Santiago Perez (20) curved a high ball from near the 18-yard line. Grizzlies goalie, senior Isaac Kane, was waiting, but the kick went past his right hand, landing in the net for the score.
 Fruitland came close to scoring as time ran out. They had moved the ball around Weiser’s defense to just in front of the goal box. A Weiser defense attempt to clear it out bounced to Fruitland, giving them another scoring attempt. The ball hit the left post and Wolverine keeper Diego Delgadillo was there to wrap up the ricochet for the save.
After the final whistle, coach Kathy Bokides let her team know how pleased she was with the performance.
 “Your passing was incredible,” Bokides said. “You moved, you never gave up. Right here at the end of the game, they got that shot and it bounced off the post, there was just some incredible, incredible defense by three or four of you. That’s the difference.”
 “You played hard,” she added. “You stuck it out. You are going to get stronger and stronger.”
 Delgadillo added, “Guys, good win. That goal that hit off the post and came right to me, they could have scored on us. We had left them open. We took a touch, we didn’t get it out and the guy got it and shot it. Luckily, it got on our side, hit the post and came to me.”
 “A little good luck once in a while isn’t bad,” Bokides said.
 The win was a contrast from the Wolverines’ Sept. 5 game the previous Tuesday against the Pirates at their field in Payette where Bokides told her players she wanted to see them play an entire game.
 Although Weiser lost that battle 2-0, she said that she was pleased with her team’s second-half performance.
 “They really picked it up and were playing well in that second half,” she told the Signal American afterward. “But, we have to work harder at playing a whole game.”
 The Wolverines suffered a 2-0 loss to Nyssa the next day, on Sept. 6.
 Weiser’s victory on Thursday was a solid response following the two losses, the boys proving their potential when they play all-out for an entire game.
 Several of the team had been under the weather last week, so Bokides gave them a practice break on Friday, reminding them they would be playing Ontario in a second matchup of the season on Monday.
 “Guys, Monday we have Ontario again, another tough team, so I think we should all do something, either at the complex or this practice field on Sunday,” Degadillo added. “We need to come into that game humble.”
 “Just because we beat them last time, doesn’t mean we can take anything for granted,” forward S. Perez added.
 “It was nice to see them playing hard again,” Bokides told the Signal American. “So, I don’t know what makes the difference. We’re getting there.”
 Defender Jackson Laird said he saw improved communication between the players on defense over the past couple of games.
 “We definitely talked a lot more than we did the last game,” he said, (against Payette). “Passes were a lot better, and we had better ball control. It was a lot better teamwork.”
 Senior Edgar Lazaro agreed. “Our passing was better than the last few games,” he said. “We communicated more, and overall we had a good game. It was tough, but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easier next week. We have some hard games, but we’ll be ready.”
 The Wolverines took eight shots on goal in both halves, with Delgadillo making 10 saves in the win.
 

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