The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate soccer team traveled to Cortez on Oct. 4 to take on the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers for the second time this season, winning by a score of 2-0.
The Pirates first played the Panthers this season in September, winning that game by a score of 3-2.
The Pirates now have an overall record of 5-2-3, including a league mark of 2-1-1, which puts them in second place of the 3A Intermountain League.
Coach Trevor Gian mentioned the Pirates did a good job of creating quality scoring chances and were able to convert on two of them, though he would’ve liked to see the Pirates put up a few more goals.
“We’ve got to get better at [finishing], and they recognize that,” Gian said.
The Pirates put up 12 shots on goal throughout the game, with Gavin Carter leading the team with four shots on goal. Christopher Young-Martinez had three shots on goal and Angel Ramirez put up two shots on goal. Angelo Medina, Elmer Castillo and Alexander Pham each had one shot on goal.
Gian explained that the Pirates had to make some adjustments due to a few players being unavailable for various reasons, noting Hudson Davis and Jacob Castaneda were unavailable.
Gian spoke last week about how the Pirates have done a good job shutting teams down defensively and maintaining possession, but have lacked quality in the final third and have been unable to convert numerous scoring chances.
With players being absent and the need to be more clinical in the attacking third, Gian chose to play Young-Martinez as an attacker against the Panthers.
Young-Martinez has played most of this season in his primary position as goalkeeper for the Pirates, but Gian explained that he wanted the team to build some offensive confidence.
“What I’ve seen from Chris on the field, pace and control and finishing has been awesome,” Gian said.
The match was scoreless through the first half as the Pirates weren’t able to find their breakthrough until there were almost 20 minutes left in the second half.
Gian explained that Carter scored with a quality left-foot shot that beat the Panthers’ goalkeeper low and to the side of the net.
“That got us on the board there,” Gian said.
He mentioned Carter was “extremely effective” in the offensive third, creating multiple chances and winning free kicks.
After Carter’s goal, Gian explained that the Pirates started pushing for another one to give themselves some breathing room and to make it harder for the Panthers to strike back.
With about 10 minutes left in the second half, Young-Martinez was able to run onto a through ball played down the left flank “and he was physical winning the ball against the defender,” Gian said.
Young-Martinez was able to take the ball down to the touch line and work his way inside and “finished back post,” Gian explained.
Gian mentioned it was an important goal for the Pirates that helped them leave with the win.
He also mentioned the Pirates had enough chances throughout the game to put up four or five goals, noting the Pirates are putting themselves in good positions and just need to convert a higher percentage of shots.
“It really came down to, once again, putting away some opportunities,” Gian said.
He noted that the Panthers were able to create a couple of scoring chances and that they are a quality team that seems to be improving throughout the year.
“It stayed pretty tight with some misses offensively that probably could’ve gone in,” Gian added.
He mentioned that the Panthers played with confidence and that they made it a tough game for the Pirates.
“They were coming at us,” Gian said. “They’re a very improved team from last year. I think Cortez has done a great job over there.”
Gian mentioned the Pirates still need to work on shutting down lanes defensively to not allow teams to get in behind and have a clear look on goal.
“It was by no means a walk in the park,” Gian said of the match.
Gian also commented on Taylor Wells getting the chance to start in goal for the Pirates.
“Taylor got the chance to start at goalie and did a great job standing in there,” he said.
Wells recorded seven saves on the day, playing 60 minutes in goal.
Gian explained that once the Pirates went up 2-0, he made the decision to put Young-Martinez in as goalie to finish out the game.
The Pirates will play two more league matches over the next week, starting on Saturday, Oct. 12, when they will take on the Alamosa Mean Moose in Alamosa at 11:30 a.m.
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Pirates will face off against the Bayfield Wolverines at 5:30 p.m. in Bayfield.
The Pirates tied against the Mean Moose 1-1 earlier this season at home and lost against the Wolverines 2-0, also at home.
Gian explained that the Pirates have been focusing on finishing in practice and have been working on “dynamic finishing.”
He mentioned the Pirates will need to continue to ramp up their effort and try to get on the board early against Alamosa.
“Alamosa’s a good defensive team,” he said, “If we can find early opportunities, it’ll be nice to put those away.”
He added, “I think the last time we played Alamosa, the game got pulled apart,” explaining that the Pirates previously found success with long balls behind the Alamosa back line.
Gian explained that the Pirates did well controlling possession throughout the game last time against the Mean Moose, but will need to take advantage of their scoring opportunities to be able to come away with a win.
“I anticipate it being a physical game,” he added.
Gian mentioned the next two league games on the road are going to be crucial for the Pirates and that they have the chance to win the league if they’re able to get positive results.
“It’s gonna be a big test,” he said, “We need to go get a result.”
He mentioned the Pirates have worked hard to put themselves in a position to win the league.
“We should have that opportunity because of the team we have, and we’ve been resilient with players stepping up due to injury,” he said.
He explained that the Pirates can’t settle for ties in these next two games in order to put themselves atop the Intermountain League.
“We put ourselves in a position to be successful,” he said, “I still feel like it’s awesome to have the opportunity now.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
