Stallions lose chance for title
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Daniel Maciel tries to control possession during Thursday’s loss to the Edison Tigers.
All the Madera South boys soccer team needed to do was get a win over the Edison-Fresno Tigers in the regular season finalé and they would, at worst, share the County/Metro Athletic Conference.
However, the Tigers have had the Stallions’ number this season. Edison beat Madera South earlier this season for their first CMAC win. With a goal in the first and second half, the Tigers, not only, thwarted Madera South’s chance for a league title, but also ended the Stallions’ 25 match home unbeaten streak Thursday.
“I don’t have an answer,” head coach Enrique Garcia said. “It may be the first time for us to win a match at the end of the season to win the CMAC. These boys are pressured, but today was something else. It just felt like it was something that needed to happen before playoffs. If we can take this heartbreak from today and grow from it, I believe it can light something in us that can give us a deep run.”
Edison scored late in the first half and added another goal midway through the second half to send the Stallions to the loss. With a win, the Stallions would have tied the Sanger Apaches, who beat Madera 2-0, for the CMAC title. Now, the Stallions will have to see where they will be seeded in the upcoming Div. II Central Section playoffs.
“The past three or four years, we have been the contenders,” Garcia said. “It has always been heartbreaking. We keep beating ourselves. Edison played their type of game. It was ugly, but they did their job. We have to take this, knowing we were there, that we had a chance to win the CMAC for the first time. At the end of the day, that’s not our final goal. It’s playing for Valley, winning a championship and compete for State.”
In the 10th minute, Madera South had the first chance on goal. Daniel Maciel got the ball on the right and had an open shot on goal blocked out of bounds by the goalkeeper.
Edison broke through the Madera South defense after a missing a defensive switch. Madera South goalkeeper Ishmal Ambriz came out to block the shot.
Ambriz blocked another shot in the 24th minute. He came out for another block on a point blank shot in the 30th minute.
However, the Tigers broke through in the 35th minute. An Edison attacker dribbled the ball up the middle by a pair of Stallions’ defenders. The shot went on goal. Ambriz made a block, but the ball rolled into the net for a goal.
With a minute left in the first half, Edison had another chance on goal. The Tigers took the ball away from a Madera South midfielder. The Tigers shot from the front on goal, but Ambriz blocked the ball out of bounds.
Three minutes into the second half, Madera South had a free kick from about 32 yards out. Joel Hernandez’s free kick was headed clear.
In the 10th minute, Edison kept the pressure. They dribbled the ball to the end line and crossed to the front of the goal. Ambriz made a dive to block the ball out before a Tigers’ attacker could get to the ball.
However, the Tigers pushed across a goal in the 20th minute. The Tigers took the ball to the end line and crossed it to the front of the goal. Ambriz jumped to block the ball up, but an Edison attacker crashed the gall and knocked the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
From there, the Stallions tried to get a goal to break the momentum, but couldn’t find the back of the next. Arturo Zavala had an open shot blocked by the keeper.
Javier Buenrostro shot off a corner kick was blocked in the 33rd minute for the Stallions’ final chance on goal.
