Coyotes lose a thriller to Bullard

The Bullard-Fresno Knights outscored the Madera Coyote boys soccer team, 3-2, in a County/Metro Athletic Conference match that was moved to Memorial Stadium because of rain.

The Coyotes were unable to create the crucial game tying goal Tuesday evening, but Madera head coach Nic Landeros was pleased with what he saw from his team.

“I think our performance was really good,” Landeros said. “We’ve just been having a mental block where we kinda switch off. They go and score three second-half goals. We’ve gotta get over that little hump and when we do we’ll start stringing some wins together. Disappointed with the result, but it was a good performance.”

Working together on defense, Landeros stated, is something the team must focus on to be successful throughout the remainder of the season.

“Defensively, we need to stop conceding so many goals,” he said. “That’s one of our biggest problems. We obviously can go forward and score, but I think conceding goals, especially when we already have the game in hand, when we’re already up 1-0, needs to be addressed. I think we gotta keep working defensively as a unit to stop conceding so many goals.”

The Coyotes were the aggressor early on Tuesday, which turned into multiple chances. In the fifth minute, Andrew Martinez showed great pace when he darted down the field looking to punish the opposing goalkeeper. Martinez was unable to pull the trigger as the goalkeeper picked up the ball before a shot was fired.

In the 10th minute, the Coyotes were again able to threaten the Knights defense. Jose Venegas linked up with Raul River for a creative play. The two players worked possession into the opponent’s final third. However, the attack fizzled when the final pass couldn’t get made.

The deadlock was broken in the 17th minute. Martines cut inside from the right wing to set up Gerardo Cabrera, who calmly slotted the ball hom to give the Coyotes the lead.

The Coyotes were unable to keep the Knights off the scoreboard for long. The Knights tied the game after they caught the Coyotes napping with a counterattack after halftime.

The score doubled in the 10th minute when the Knights connected on a pinpoint cross to the back post. The attacker headed the ball into the back of the net to increase the lead. The Knights scored again in the 15th minute to take a 3-1 lead.

The Coyotes showed life as Rivera fired from 15 yards out to bring the home side closer to level terms. Rivera picked his head up and accurately found the bottom corner in the 16th minute to cut the lead to 3-2.

However, Bullard held off numerous Coyote attacks for the one-goal victory.