Coyotes score two straight for win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Adrian Rocha controls the ball for the Coyotes. He helped set up Jonah Hill with a game-tying goal in Friday’s victory over San Joaquin Memorial.
The Madera Coyotes boys soccer team made up an early deficit to down San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno 2-1 at Memorial Stadium.
San Joaquin Memorial took the lead in the 13th minute when Nathan Shimamoto converted a shot from inside the box Friday night.
The Panthers nearly added a second goal in the 13th minute, but Madera goalkeeper Francisco Segovia came up with the save.
Madera found the equalizer in the 22nd minute when Jonah Hill took a pass from Adrian Rocha and converted a shot from long distance.
The Coyotes had another opportunity on a corner kick in the 30th minute, but Hill’s header sailed over the bar. Madera’s Ryan Da Rocha then took a long distance shot in the 35th minute, which curved just wide of the goal.
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera midfielder Miguel Gutierrez tries to keep control and possession of the ball during Friday’s victory over San Joaquin Memorial. The win in Memorial Stadium gave the Coyotes their third straight victory.
With neither team able to find any more chances for the rest of the half, the score remained 1-1 at the break.
“The message all year is mental toughness,” Madera head coach Nic Landeros said. “We did perfectly fine. We didn’t crumble under the pressure and we got the result we wanted.”
Madera’s Nick Gonzalez fired a powerful shot in the 46th minute, which went over the crossbar. Da Rocha also had a chance in the 49th minute, but he was unable to make contact with the ball as the pass came to him in front of goal.
Madera earned a free kick in the 64th minute after a foul at the edge of the box. However, Da Rocha’’s shot was deflected by the wall of defenders.
With the Panthers pushing for one more opportunity in the final minutes, the Coyotes defense stayed firm. Dylan Castro scored the winner in the 71st minute when he converted a shot off a rebound in the box.
“CMAC is a tough league. Every game is tough,” Landeros said. “You can’t look past any opponent. You have to game plan for every opponent,”
With Friday’s win against the Panthers, the Coyotes extended their winning streak to three games.
“This win for us is huge, especially being three in a row. It’s big time,” Landeros said. “It’s the investment into the system from the boys and that mental toughness, the resiliency from them to push through adversity and that’s why we’re getting the results we want.”
