Using the wind to its advantage, Dos Pueblos scored two second-half goals to beat city rival San Marcos 3-1 on a blustery Thursday night in each team’s first Channel League soccer match.
Originally scheduled to be played at Dos Pueblos, the match was moved to San Marcos’ turf field due to concerns of rain.
San Marcos (3-7-2, 0-1) came out of halftime firing after falling behind 1-0 in the first half when Dos Pueblos’ Wyatt Babineau scored in the 20th minute. Camilo Gonzagui of the Royals curled a ball into the goal five minutes into the second half to tie the score.
“It was just getting the boys to believe that we can come out here and compete against any team,” San Marcos coach Daniel Torres said of what he told his team at halftime. “They went out there and performed. They never backed down.”
Dos Pueblos (6-4-6, 1-0) had the wind at its backs in the second half and it showed, as the Chargers easily eclipsed their season average of 1.1 goals per match.
Sophomore Lucas Eilbacher let loose a perfectly placed ball from 40 yards out that found the upper corner of the net in the 58th minute to put the Chargers up 2-1.
Senior Sam Roberts then gave the Chargers some insurance by getting past a San Marcos defender and punching the ball into an empty goal in the 75th minute to complete the scoring.
Dos Pueblos head coach Matt York commended the play of keeper Tave Grabenheinrich and freshman Scott Buie, who made his varsity debut. “No one got through on his side,” praised York.
Both teams came into the game reeling: San Marcos is now winless in their last six matches. Dos Pueblos had gone 1-2-4 in their past seven matches.
“Channel League is going to be tough,” said York. “You’re only playing eight games so any win is big.”
Both teams will play Ventura in their next match, with San Marcos traveling south to take on the Cougars next Tuesday and Dos Pueblos hosting Ventura on Thursday. San Marcos and Dos Pueblos will face each other again on January 26 at Dos Pueblos.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.