Dos Pueblos boys soccer came away with the championship title of the Cats and Hounds Tournament on Saturday.
On their way to the title, the Chargers (2-0-3) took down Paso Robles in the semifinals before defeating Santa Maria in penalty kicks.
Dos Pueblos 4, Paso Robles 2
The Chargers pulled out a comeback semifinal win over Paso Robles to begin the day.
Paso Robles dominated early, scoring in the 20th minute and taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. They kept it rolling in the second, scoring 12 minutes in to grab a 2-0 advantage.
However, that’s when the Dos Pueblos offense woke up.
Six minutes later, Johnny Duffy earned a penalty kick for the Chargers and Andrew Gomez finished it off to cut the lead in half at 2-1.
They stayed hot seven minutes later when Owen Ribbens took a pass, nutmegged a defender and blasted a goal into the far post from 15 yards out for the equalizer.
The momentum didn’t stop there, as JP Garcia earned another penalty kick two minutes later and Tiago Rodriguez converted to give the Chargers their first lead of the day.
Dos Pueblos rounded out the scoring late in the match when Ryan Curtis finished off a deflection with his head to secure the 4-2 victory.
“I’m really proud of the squad for battling back after going down two goals in the second half. They stayed calm and composed,” Chargers coach Matt York said. “Pressure on their end caused penalty calls and having us stay calm allowed our boys to finish and preserve the win.”
Dos Pueblos 2, Santa Maria 2 (4-3 on Penalty Kicks)
The Chargers wrapped up the weekend with a dramatic victory over Santa Maria for the title.
After trailing 2-0 halfway through the second half, the Dos Pueblos offense finally woke up with a header goal by Luka Jevremovic to cut the lead in half.
Just seven minutes later, Tiago Rodriguez played a ball into the box for Johnny Duffy, who converted the equalizer. After both defenses stiffened, the match was sent into penalty kicks.
The Chargers found great success there, hitting all four of their shots while Dos Pueblos goalkeeper Isaac Jimenez stopped Santa Maria’s third attempt. A Santa Maria miss on their fourth penalty kick sealed the win for Dos Pueblos.
“You can’t win a tournament without having excellent play from everyone and it’s even sweeter for me knowing that many of these boys are first-year varsity players,” Chargers coach Matt York said.
York’s Man of the Match for the championship was senior fullback Rodrigo Diaz, who “outpaced [Santa Maria] down the sideline, and he shut down and frustrated their attack all game and tournament.”