A second-half brace by Johnny Duffy powered Dos Pueblos boys soccer to a 2-0 win over Rio Mesa on Tuesday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
The Chargers are now 6-5-3 overall and 2-3 in Channel League play after back-to-back league victories. They will head across town to take on San Marcos on Thursday at 6:45 p.m.
“The boys went in with the right mindset today. We wanted to start the year off 1-0,” Dos Pueblos coach Oscar Garcia said. “We played a well-organized first half, controlling possession. Rio Mesa was good at getting numbers up the field throughout the game.
“In the second half, the boys continued with our game plan and stayed patient despite the goalless first half.”
The two defenses stood tall in the opening half, as both sides created opportunities but were consistently turned away to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
The Chargers found their footing in the second half, as Duffy opened the scoring in the 65th minute after beating the Rio Mesa goalkeeper for the 1-0 lead.
Just nine minutes later, Duffy once again found the back of the net after beating a goalkeeper and slotting a shot into the back of the net to double the advantage.
“Johnny Duffy was exceptional tonight, he was a great leader on the field, organizing and motivating his teammates and, in the end, giving us a display of his athleticism to create two goals solely off of effort,” Garcia said.
“Chris Barreto put in a great shift in the midfield today on both the offensive and defensive end.”
That 2-0 lead held for the rest of the matchup as the Dos Pueblos backline of Toribio Lopez, Adam Carreno and Andrew Gomez combined with goalkeeper Kieran Buell for the clean sheet.
San Marcos 1, Ventura 0
The Royals came through in the clutch to earn a shutout win over the Cougars on Tuesday in Ventura.
After the first 70 minutes went scoreless, San Marcos got on the board when Rover Ojendis crossed the ball into Ricky Olivo, who headed it into the far post for the 1-0 lead.
In the closing minutes of the match, goalkeeper Isaac Urritia saved a penalty kick to seal the victory.
“Ventura plays a direct physical style of game and they make it hard to keep the ball in possession,” San Marcos head coach Paul McLean said. “Isaac did a great job as a leader in goal for us tonight. He made several saves, distributed the ball well and encouraged our backline.
“We had good performances from so many tonight. It was a great team win.”
San Marcos is now 3-1-1 heading into Thursday’s matchup with Dos Pueblos.
Bishop Diego 10, Dunn 0
The Cardinals erupted for a lopsided victory over Dunn on Tuesday at La Playa Stadium.
The duo of Ricardo Diaz-Rea and River Castellanos led the offensive outburst with five and four goals, respectively. Blake Douglas rounded out the scoring with one goal of his own.
“Bishop controlled possession for most of the contest, creating scoring opportunities through disciplined play and quick transitions,” Bishop Diego head coach Emmanuel Verduzco said. “Defensively, the Cardinals remained organized and focused, limiting Dunn’s chances and maintaining a clean sheet.
“The coaching staff was pleased with the team’s energy and execution, especially after the break, noting the players’ commitment to training and preparation over the holiday period.”
The Cardinals will be on the road against Foothill Tech on Friday.
Santa Barbara High 2, Buena 0
Irving Garcia netted a pair of second-half goals to help the Dons to a win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday in Ventura.
After a scoreless opening half, Garcia’s first goal of the night came in the 60th minute on a penalty kick. Just eight minutes later, Garcia found the back of the net courtesy of a header of a loose ball in the box.
While Garcia got it done on the offensive end, goalkeeper Samuel Ceballos came through for the Dons with three critical saves to keep the clean sheet.
“Sammy kept us in the game with his big saves,” Santa Barbara High head coach Ricardo Alcaraz said. “He kept the game 0-0 with two saves and then made another save to keep it 1-0, which allowed us to score again a minute later. He was big tonight.”
Meanwhile, the freshman duo of Oziel Hernandez and Jayden Molwane made their impact felt throughout the night.
“Oziel was solid out wide and then in midfield, and Jayden was called up tonight from the JV team and was dangerous all night,” Alcaraz said.
The Dons will host Ventura on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. inside Peabody Stadium.