Coyotes soccer falls in second half

The Madera Coyotes boys soccer team fought hard until the end, but couldn’t pull out a County/Metro Athletic Conference victory against the Bullard-Fresno Knights 2-1 at Lee DaSilva field in Memorial stadium.

Michael Gonzalez captured the Knights’ ninth win overall and second win in the CMAC after a strong second half performance Tuesday night. Gonzalez capitalized on his size and strength to bag two goals.

Even though Gonzalez is listed as a midfielder, his knack for linking the midfield and attack provided the Knights opportunities, more so in the second half.

The Coyotes did an exceptional job to contain the Knights midfielder early on but, as the game wore on, Bullard rode Gonzalez to a conference win.

Although the Coyotes came out on the short end, their tireless work in both halves was commendable. Emmanuel Cabello, however, took the plaudits from the Madera faithful.

Cabello continued to add to his impressive start to the season. He has scored three goals and added a pair of assists this season.

Madera’s lone score of the game came in the second half after Cabello converted a well-timed finish inside the opponent final third. His darting runs, and instinctual attacking play put pressure on the Knights, but couldn’t produce enough for the victory.

After opening with an 0-2 record in the CMAC to open play, the Coyotes have a lot of work to do to get themselves back into the top half of the table.

With the San Juaquin Memorial-Fresno Panthers up next, Madera has an opportunity to, not only grab their first CMAC win, but also push one of their rivals lower down the table.