The Único boys 13U squad picked up a 1-0 victory over DASC 2011B Black of South Dakota on Saturday in pool play of the National Presidents Cup in Kansas.
The win was the Santa Barbara-based Único’s second of the tournament and kept them undefeated and in first place in their bracket. They will round out pool play on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. against Chelsea East of North Texas.
With the victory, Único also clinched their spot in the semifinals on Monday.
“The wind was blowing between 20 to 25 mph which created some problems for both teams,” Único assistant coach Rob Brennan said. “However, we battled all game to secure the win and to advance to the National Cup State Semifinals.”
It was a competitive matchup, but the Único defense proved to be too dominant. Goalkeeper Tanner Hug did his job alongside defenders Cannon Miller, Lucas Aguilar, Cisco Alcaraz, Jonah Bay Mendez, Henry Zylstra and Sergio Morales.
After a scoreless first half, Único netted the lone goal of the matchup in the first 10 minutes of the second.
Alcaraz played in a corner kick that the DASC goalie punched out of the box. However, the ball was controlled by Nito Quintero, who fired from outside the penalty box and found the upper corner of the net to take a 1-0 lead.
The defense did the rest for Único, as they registered their second shutout in as many games.
“Overall, I was very pleased with the boys’ play,” Brennan said. “We were very patient and knocked the ball around well despite the wind. Their keeper and defense made some nice defensive plays to keep us from running away with the game.”
