WEEKLY UPDATES

During the season, Coach Fleming will update this page each weekend.

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Week 9 - 5/12-5/17

AHS vs Port Townsend.  State Playoffs. Lost 2-0.     5-13-08

Port Townsend laid down a trap Aberdeen couldn’t escape from on Tuesday.
The Redskins executed their offsides trap to perfection, catching the Bobcats out of position and summarily out of the state 2A boys soccer playoffs in a 2-0 victory at Tumwater Stadium.
Aberdeen, the state 2A runner-up last season, finishes the season with a 16-2 record, while Port Townsend (18-2) will meet either Medical Lake or Quincy in the state quarterfinals on Saturday in Eastern Washington.
“It is too bad to lose that way, because we were in front of their goal all night,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “I’m glad that we had so many chances, but it is almost worse than losing to a superior team who beats you. We really only gave them 3-4 chances to score and …”
If ball possession and scoring chances counted on the scoreboard, the Bobcats would have easily dispatched the Redskins on this slick, drizzly night. Unfortunately, all it does was underscore Aberdeen’s lost opportunities and highlight Port Townsend’s few, but threatening, chances.
After absorbing Aberdeen’s initial offensive thrust, Port Townsend nearly scored on its first chance in the eighth minute. The Redskins’ Ross Bringgold was unmarked in front of the Bobcats’ goal and his header went just wide left.
It would be a nasty harbinger for Aberdeen.
In the 19th minute, Port Townsend’s Hab Rubio sent a cross from the right sideline to the front of Aberdeen’s goal. From there, Sam Selisch fought off a Bobcat defender and deflected the ball over AHS goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke for the opening goal.
An Aberdeen free kick two minutes later nearly tied the match. The ball went into a scrum of players and cleared to junior Victor Garcia, whose volley shot went just wide left from 20 yards out.
After that, the offsides trap — where all defensive players move up in unison to catch the offensive players behind them before the ball is played — was set and sprung on the Bobcats.
“I have to give Aberdeen credit (for their play); I told the guys before the game that if we beat Aberdeen, we’ll be able to beat anyone in the state,” Redskins coach Dean Short said.
“We instituted the offside trap early this season and it took them the whole season to learn it and get it down,” Short added. “Now they’re playing it better than any team I’ve ever coached. This is the way to play soccer, hold the straight line (on defense) and catch them offside when the time is right.”
Aberdeen adjusted at times to the trap, but was caught offsides 11 times in the match. When the Bobcats did beat the move, either a Redskin player was there to deflect the ball away or goalkeeper Jesse Yourish prevented a score.
In the final four minutes of the first half, Garcia had three chances to give Aberdeen its first goal. The junior missed a Rigo PugaDeLaRosa cross, then had his own cross slide across the goal and away from a charging Kerwin Talbot two minutes later.
Just before the half, Yourish made a mistake on a loose ball, which Garcia gathered in and shot at a very tight angle. The ball crossed the goal face and just missed the far left post.
Port Townsend doubled up its lead early in the second half when Bringgold converted a header off a free kick for a 2-0 lead.
It was one of only two shots on-goal the Redskins mustered in the second half as the Bobcats sent wave after wave of offensive pressure. Port Townsend absorbed it, but still allowed a few dramatic moments to happen.
In the 63rd minute, PugaDeLaRosa’s free kick found Jay Hardy’s head for what looked to be a goal. However, Yourish leaped up to get his fingertips onto the ball and push it over the crossbar.
One minute later, Talbot secured the ball on a counterattack and beat Yourish, but had the ball tapped away at the last second by a Redskin defender.
Coach Fleming cited his 10 seniors and assistant coaches Alfie Bensinger and Ryan Harless for their leadership and work this season.

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Week 8 - 5/5-5/10

Foreign relations on field
By Rob Burns - The Daily World
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 11:13 AM PDT

Sports are known for being their own universal form of communication, and many foreign exchange student-athletes have been speaking fluently this year on the Harbor.
For two exchange students, Slim Abid and Konstantin Mueller, their fluency in boys soccer — or as they call it, football — has played a big part in Aberdeen and Elma’s seasons, respectively.
Today, Abid and the Bobcats will begin district postseason play at Stewart Field to try and return to the state class 2A title game berth reached last year. For Mueller and an improved Eagles team, their season ended on Thursday.
Hailing from Waterloo, Belgium — yes, the same historic Waterloo where French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte lost his last battle in the Napoleonic War in 1815 to the British, Dutch and Prussian armies — Abid came to Aberdeen last summer and has had a roller-coaster of a time here.
Abid’s first preference on his exchange student application was to play soccer. He is a member of VC Lot Sportief, a men’s football club near Brussels in the Brabant Derde Provincial Division. Abid has been on the first team since he was 16.
“They asked me how important it was for me and I told them, ‘10 out of 10,’ because soccer is my life,” Abid said. “I was hoping for a good team and, obviously, I’m on a good team, so I’m happy about that. ”
Abid’s host parents are Kevin and Sunny Talbot, whose son Kerwin is a senior defenseman for the Bobcats. Apart from playing soccer, they’ve taken trips to San Diego, including a day at the San Diego Zoo, and to Oregon.
At AHS, Abid helped Talbot and Jay Hardy as managers of the AHS girls soccer team in the fall and played some rec soccer before the season. However, Abid injured his left leg while playing and, while rehabilitating the injury, injured his right leg during the season.
With his time on the field limited, Abid has taken advantage when physically able, scoring seven goals and helping the Bobcats solidify their forwards. His natural position is in the midfield, but he moved up front to help Aberdeen replace a scoring punch lost by graduation and transfers.
“He fits right in,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “He’s very smart and is always thinking about the game. Sometimes I’ll be talking to the team and he’s already thought about what I was going to tell them and would be a step ahead. “
When asked about the differences and similarities of soccer between high school on the Harbor and club soccer in Belgium, Abid quickly noted that Aberdeen could hold its own within his home club’s league in Belgium.
“I think our team would be at the same level as the teams I’ve been with in Belgium, because the individual level of talent is high and as a team, the level is high,” Amid said.
“Here, you practice every day and you learn about your teammates’ abilities faster. In Europe, you may only practice twice a week and you don’t develop as fast. That was something that was really amazing to me.”


AHS C-Squad Soccer vs Tumwater.  Won 7-0.  5-5-08.
JAberdeen got plenty of offensive support to rout Tumwater, 7-0, in boys C Squad soccer at the Bishop Athletic Complex on Monday.
Jose Galeana scored two goals, with Nick Barene, Erik Padilla, Alex Escobar and Caleb Phillps adding one goal each for the Bobcats. Tumwater added an own goal to Aberdeen’s goal total.
On Wednesday, Aberdeen finishes the season at Centralia.


AHS vs Hockinson.  District Playoffs. Won 2-1 OT.     5-6-08
In more ways than one, Aberdeen received a wakeup call on Tuesday, but the Bobcats didn’t hit the snooze button against Hockinson.
The Hawks tied the game in the 50th minute, shocking the Bobcats out of a lackluster rhythm before James Sanchez delivered the knockout punch two minutes into the first overtime for a 2-1 District IV 2A boys soccer win for Aberdeen at Stewart Field.
By virtue of Centralia’s upset district win over Ridgefield, Aberdeen (16-1) won the district championship and will take the No. 1 seed into the state 2A playoffs next Tuesday. The Bobcats will host the District III (Tacoma-Bremerton) runner-up at a site yet to be determined on May 13.
Victor Garcia’s crossing pass was headed down by Kerwin Talbot and sent through to Sanchez, who tapped the ball past Hockinson’s goalkeeper. With an open net, Sanchez just redirected the ball in for the win.
“It got us into state,” Sanchez said. “Kerwin gave me a great ball to play, it was a better pass than the shot. There was a lot of pressure (going into overtime). I know that I didn’t want to go to a penalty-kick shootout.”
Hockinson (7-9) came out in control of the second half, using the first 10 minutes to get itself back into the game.
Pressuring Aberdeen back into its defensive zone, Hockinson was rewarded for its efforts in the 49th minute off a corner kick. The set play itself didn’t produce anything, but it delivered a loose ball to junior midfielder Jake Nibley.
Nibley, who sent a warning to the Bobcats in the 12th minute with a rocket 20-yard shot that just cleared the crossbar, didn’t miss this time. From 25 yards out, he sent a hard bullet shot that got by goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke and just under the crossbar for a 1-all tie.
Aberdeen, which enjoyed control of the match for the first 20 minutes, took the lead in the fourth minute when midfielder Rigo PugaDeLaRosa slotted a low crossing shot off the far right post for the opening marker. Garcia earned the assist with the through ball to the speedy junior.
But once Nibley finished his celebration with his teammates, the Bobcats woke up and regained their form shown in the first half.
“I hate to say it, but it was a wakeup call after that goal,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “We just weren’t doing a great job of clearing the ball in that first 10 minutes of the second half and you can’t give a good team like that chances to score. Kerwin did a great job of marking up on (Nibley) and he never got another shot off. After they scored, we seemed to play a lot better.”
Talbot was commissioned to cover Nibley, who retreated to the defensive line and made supporting offensive runs after his goal. The defense around Talbot and Schmidtke tightened up as well, which allowed the midfielders to regain possession and control
PugaDeLaRosa and Everardo Lopez delivered the runs on the wings and the Bobcats’ pressure pushed back the Hawks. But despite a series of chances in the final 15 minutes, Aberdeen couldn’t connect and the match moved into overtime.
Here, the Bobcats never allowed the Hawks a chance, pressuring early before Garcia connected with Talbot, then Sanchez delivered the state-clinching goal.

AHS C-Squad Soccer at Centralia.  Won 4-0.  5-7-08.
Aberdeen capped it’s season on Wednesday by shutting out Centralia 4-0 in C-Squad boys soccer in Centralia.
Caleb Phillips, Jose Oropeza, Jose Galeana, and Erik Padilla scored one goal each for the Bobcats (13-2-1).
Aberdeen assistant coach Ryan Harless cited the whole team for their efforts this season.

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Week 7 - 4/28-5/3

AHS C-Squad Soccer at Capital.  Won 2-1.  4-28-08.
Jose Oropeza scored both goals as Aberdeen nipped Capital, 2-1, in a C Squad boys soccer game Monday at Olympia.
Erik Padilla and Jose Galeana were credited with assists for the Bobcats (10-2). Aberdeen goalkeeper Tony Ramos was credited with fine play. The Bobcats host North Thurston on Wednesday.

AHS Boys Soccer at Hoquiam. Won 5-0.     4-29-08
Aberdeen’s offense warmed up just as the wind and the rain cooled everything down against Hoquiam on Tuesday.
An evenly played first half saw the Bobcats take a one-goal lead and translate it into offensive dominance in the second half en route to a 5-0 Evergreen 2A boys soccer win over the Grizzlies at Sea Breeze Oval.
Javier Camacho, Everardo Lopez, Jay Hardy and Nathan Peck posted markers for Aberdeen (12-1, 14-1), which can clinch the league title at home Thursday against Centralia.
“We looked good in the second half,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “Hoquiam did a nice job. They were on every ball and because we didn’t have a great first touch, they could clear it. It was an evenly played first half. The combinations and passes we made for goals were beautiful. We’ve had a hard time finishing, but we finished it off well today.”
Aberdeen’s offense flowed with possession, short passes and scoring opportunities, in sharp contrast to the herky-jerky style caused by Hoquiam in the first half.
The Grizzlies (4-9, 5-9), on Senior Night, set the tone of the match with a solid defensive effort, with some help from a very wet, sloppy field. Hoquiam also used its defense to set up counter-attack chances and nearly took the first lead of the match.
Senior Jesus Martinez finished a strong run through Aberdeen’s defense with a short pass to junior Eli Abbott, who sent a dangerous shot that barely cleared the crossbar from 15 yards out in the 13th minute.
The Bobcats got into a rhythm late in the first half, adjusting to the field and to Hoquiam’s defense. It paid off with two minutes to go.
Lopez, from the corner, sent a near-perfect pass to the right post where Camacho popped it into the net for a 1-0 lead.
“Every time we play a good half and stay with a good team, we make a mistake,” HHS coach Fidel Sanchez said. “I knew, when we kicked it out for a corner, that it was going to be scored on. We’re a young team and that is the kind of mistakes young teams make. Once Aberdeen gets into rhythm, they don’t lose. They won’t give up anything.
The momentum gained from the final six minutes of the first half flowed in the second half for Aberdeen. With the majority of the possession and the pressure, the Bobcats hit a higher gear on offense.
Fed a long through ball past the Hoquiam defense, Lopez ran onto the ball and beat Hoquiam goalkeeper Darian Coley, who charged out, for a 2-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Hardy added another goal in the 55th minute, delivering a lob header off a long throw-in that drifted into the net at 3-0. Lopez got his second assist of the match when he gathered in the ball at the end line and sent a pass across the face of the goal onto Peck’s foot in the 66th minute.
Peck finished the scoring when he sent home a loose ball in front of the net that the Grizzlies were unable to clear in the 72nd minute.

In the junior varsity match, Aberdeen blanked Hoquiam, 1-0. Christian Salin scored the lone goal, set up by an assist from Jose Barragan.

Evergreen 2A Conference
Aberdeen 12-1
Black Hills 12-1
Tumwater 7-6
Centralia 8-5
Elma 6-7
Hoquiam 4-9
Chehalis 2-11
River Ridge 1-12

AHS C-Squad vs North Thurston.Tied 2-2.  4-30-08.
Aberdeen and North Thurston battled to a 2-2 tie in C Squad boys soccer on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex.
Erik Padilla and Jose Galeana scored for the Bobcats, with Padilla and Jose Oropeza earning one assist each.

AHS Boys Soccer vs Centralia. Won 4-0.     5-1-08
A senior-laden defense showed its muscle on Thursday, but it took a sophomore and two juniors to dent the net first for Aberdeen against Centralia at Stewart Field.
A slow start, protected by a veteran defense and goalkeeper, allowed the Bobcats time to get into its flowing offensive form in the second half to blank the Tigers, 4-0, and win the Evergreen 2A boys soccer title.
Tied with Black Hills at 13-1 in league, the Bobcats (15-1 overall) hold a superior goal differential to the Wolves and will take the league’s No. 1 seed into Tuesday’s district opener at home. The Bobcats will face Hockinson at 7 p.m. at Stewart Field.
“We’re really happy, winning league for the third year in a row,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “Senior Night is always tough. It is hard to focus and we talked about that specifically before the game. It was pretty even in the first half, and we were lucky to get the goal just before halftime. Our game came together quickly in the second half.”
Aberdeen honored 11 seniors and two foreign exchange students on Senior Night, started 11 of them in different positions and needed time to get into its style of play. Centralia took advantage, controlled play in the midfield and attacked frequently.
Senior goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke, with plenty of help from his defense in front, stepped up to stop the Tigers’ attack. With a few key saves, the Bobcats survived unscathed.
“The defense played really well, marked up and made the job easy for me,” Schmidtke said. “I just try to concentrate on the ball and go where it goes.”
A missed penalty kick in the 23rd minute by Aberdeen kept the game scoreless, then Schmidtke made his biggest save of the game. The muscular keeper blocked a point-blank range shot from Centralia’s Ricky Martinez in the 37th minute to deny the visitors’ best chance at goal.
Two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Jesse Mora got a boot on the ball for a 35-yard long shot. The ball skipped on the grass in front of goalkeeper Kendal Hokama and by him for the opening marker.
Aberdeen didn’t waste time doubling the score in the second half. More sent a long through ball to junior midfielder Rigo PugaDeLaRosa, who beat one Centralia defender and then the keeper low left for a 2-0 lead in the 46th minute.
PugaDeLaRosa, along with Everardo Lopez on the outside right, helped control the midfield and set up bountiful scoring chances in the second half“(Centralia) has a good defense, but they made some mistakes and that allowed us to take advantage when they didn’t cover up,” PugaDeLaRosa said. “We really needed this (win) to keep the confidence going into district and state.”
With the offense flowing and the defense facing fewer chances from the Tigers, the Bobcats were in control. Both teams went through a series of corner kicks, but neither threatened.
Aberdeen finished the scoring late when senior Jay Hardy’s 28-yard free kick found the net when Hokama tried to clear the ball with his feet and missed in the 72nd minute. Lopez, off a long crossing through pass from Zach Zora, ran down the ball and powered home the final marker in the 76th minute.
The 13 players who were honored on Senior Night were: Belgium’s Slim Abid, Denmark’s Christian Salin, Hardy, Schmidtke, Jose Barragan, Chris Field, Juan Meraz, Andy Liscombe, Tyler Rabey, James Sanchez, Tim Shin, Kerwin Talbot and Zach Zora.

Aberdeen blanked Centralia, 2-0, in the junior varsity game. Salin and Dago Hernandez scored for AHS.           The Junior Varsity finish the season at 12-1-3.

Evergreen 2A Conference Final Standings (AHS 3rd Straight League Title)
Aberdeen 13-1
Black Hills 13-1
Tumwater 8-6
Centralia 8-6
Elma 6-8
Hoquiam 5-9
Chehalis 2-12
River Ridge 1-13

AHS C-Squad Soccer at Shelton.  Won 6-2.  5-2-08.
Jose Galeana scored twice to lead Aberdeen past Shelton, 6-2, in a C Squad boys soccer game Friday at Shelton.

Raul Martinez, Erik Padilla, Nick Barene and Jose Oropeza also scored for the Bobcats (11-2-1). Midfielders Alex Richters and Tony Ramos were also cited for fine play.

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Week 6 - 4/21-4/26

AHS Boys Soccer at Black Hills. Won 1-0.     4-21-08
TUMWATER — Aberdeen’s defense made Victor Garcia’s first-half goal stand up, as the Bobcats gained a tie for the Evergreen 2A Conference boys soccer lead with a 1-0 win over previously unbeaten Black Hills on Monday at Tumwater Stadium.

The Bobcats (11-1 overall) and Wolves are now deadlocked at 9-1 in league. Aberdeen currently owns the tiebreaking edge based on goal differential.
The only goal came with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Andy Liscombe stole the ball and sent a crossing pass to Garcia, who one-touched it past the goalkeeper.
Both teams had multiple scoring chances thereafter. Bobcat goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke punched aside three Black Hills corner kicks in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.
Aberdeen owned a 14-10 edge in shots on goal.
Injured Bobcat standout Rigo PugaDeLaRosa saw limited action last night. But Aberdeen was without forward Slim Abid due to a pulled muscle and defender-midfielder Kerwin Talbot with an ankle injury.
“Luckily, we were able to hang tough on D,” said Bobcat coach Larry Fleming. “Schmidtke played great in goal.”
Fleming also commended the play of stopper Tyler Rabey.

The junior varsity game ended in a scoreless tie.
The Bobcats return home Wednesday to face Chehalis.

Evergreen 2A Conference
Aberdeen 9-1
Black Hills 9-1
Tumwater 7-3
Centralia 6-4
Elma 4-6
Hoquiam 3-7
Chehalis 2-8
River Ridge 0-10

   
AHS C-Squad Soccer vs Black Hills.  Won 3-0.  4-22-08.
Steven King scored twice as Aberdeen blanked Black Hills, 3-0, in a C Squad boys soccer match Tuesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex.
Jose Galeana scored the other Bobcat goal. Aberdeen coach Ryan Harless cited Nick Barene and Erik Padilla for fine play. The Bobcats improved their season record to 9-2.   

AHS Boys Soccer vs Chehalis.Won 1-0. 4-23-08
    The AHS boys played a very good game, starting strong and keeping that intensity throughout the match, even though the finishing was not up to par. They did not shoot especially well, but they had many chances and dominated the Bearcats.  The shots on goal were 22-5 in favor of the Bobcats.  W.F.West’s only good chances were off transitions when the Cats were pushed up but strong defense denied them from getting but one or two good chances the entire game.
     In the 1st half, Aberdeen won the ball in the air time and time again,
and had terrific passing combinations going forward down the pitch.    They passed the ball backwards and worked it across the field to wide open players who sent great crosses forward.  A combination of fouls and good defense kept the Cats off the scoring sheet until about 15 minutes left in the half.   James Sanchez played a ball wide to Andy Liscombe, who sent a long cross to a sprinting Everardo Lopez.  Lopez collected the ball and beat
the goalkeeper one on one to the left, finishing into a wide open goal.
    In the 2nd half, the Bobcats played just as hard, winning the 50/50
balls in the air, and passing well, but they were thwarted time and again by poor shooting accuracy and aggressive defense by the opponents.  The Bearcats packed it in on D, surrendering the midfield, and AHS took
advantage by keeping the ball in the offensive third of the field for the
most part.   Luckily, solid defense left Chehalis with hardly any possession
time in Aberdeen’s defensive half, and rarely pressured the AHS defense.
    Jay Hardy at midfield with Lopez, and James Sanchez at forward played
well.
    “This was definitely an ugly win.  We did everything right except
capitalizing on the many, many easy chances to put the ball into the net.
We will have to play better to keep winning”.
    We are now 10-1 in league, 12-1 overall, and we play next on Friday at
Tumwater.
    The junior varsity won 1-0.   Dago Hernandez scored the lone goal for
AHS.  Bobcat assistant coach, Alfie Bensinger, cited Francisco Orellana,
Josue Ambrocio, and Javier Camacho for strong games.

AHS Boys Soccer at Tumwater.Won 3-0. 4-25-08
TUMWATER — Victor Garcia scored twice in the first 13 minutes as Aberdeen remained tied for the Evergreen 2A Conference boys soccer lead with a 3-0 victory over Tumwater on Friday night at Tumwater Stadium.
The Bobcats (13-1 overall) remain deadlocked with Black Hills atop the Evergreen standings at 11-1 with two matches remaining.
Garcia scored on a free kick in the 10th minute. The Aberdeen junior actually intended to cross the ball, but it slipped past his teammates, the defenders and the T-Bird goalkeeper.
“I think he was as surprised as anyone that it went in,” Bobcat coach Larry Fleming related.
Three minutes later, Garcia knocked home the rebound of a shot by James Sanchez.
Jay Hardy concluded the scoring with about five minutes remaining. He took a drop pass from Kerwin Talbot (who in turn had received a pass from Jesse Mora) and drilled a 25-yard howitzer into the upper left corner of the net.
With stopper Tyler Rabey marking up on Tumwater standout Hank Bryant, the Bobcats allowed the T-Birds few scoring chances.
“We didn’t take advantage of a lot of free kicks,” said Fleming. “But we passed well and defended great.”
Mora, midfielder Everardo Lopez and reserve Christian Salin were credited with fine performances.
The Cats are still missing two of their top performers in Slim Abid and Rigo PugaDeLaRosa, both sidelined with pulled muscles.

Raul Sanchez scored the lone goal as Aberdeen won the JV match, 1-0.

The Bobcats make the short trip to Hoquiam on Tuesday.

Evergreen 2A Conference
Aberdeen 11-1
Black Hills 11-1
Tumwater 7-5
Centralia 7-5
Elma 6-7
Hoquiam 4-8
Chehalis 2-10
River Ridge 0-12

   

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Week 5 - 4/14-4/19

AHS C-Squad Soccer vs Centralia.  Won 5-3.  4-14-08.
Erik Padilla scored a hat trick and assisted on two more goals to help Aberdeen run past Centralia, 5-3, in C Squad boys soccer play at the Bishop Athletic Complex.  They are 6-2 on the season.
John Moore and Jose Oropeza scored one goal each. Caleb Phillips and Ricky Enquist registered one assist each. The midfield was cited for their play in the game.


AHS Boys Soccer vs River Ridge. Won 8-1.     4-15-08
    The AHS boys passed the ball well, defended well, and were able to play all 23 players (moved some junior varsity players up for this game) on the roster and still continue to dominate the match until the end.  The shots on goal were 36-4 in favor of the Bobcats.  The Bobcats were without Zach Zora due to illness, and Rigo PugaDeLaRosa due to injury.
     In the 1st half, Aberdeen scored immediately just a minute and a half in when defender Jerad Spaur, assisted by Kerwin Talbot, launched a 35 yard shot that went off the fingertips of the RR keeper and in.  Midfielder Jay Hardy put the Bobcats up 2-0  just 5 minutes later when Victor Garcia slipped him a through ball and Hardy beat the keeper one on one.  Forward Slim Abid finished a nice passing combination from Jesse Mora and Garcia, putting AHS up 3-0 at the 25 minute mark of the 1st half.  River Ridge was able to get on the scoreboard when a ball went off of Hardy’s face and they were awarded a free kick, which they made.  The Cats came right back with a goal by James Sanchez, who followed in a blocked penalty kick from Everardo Lopez.  Finishing out the first half scoring was Sanchez again, this time volleying in a cross from Lopez with just 5 minutes remaining in the opening half to send AHS into the locker room with a 5-1 lead.
    In the 2nd half, the Bobcats played just as hard, winning the 50/50 balls in the air, and passing well, and beat their “fastest to score a goal” time of the first half by a minute, when Garcia knocked a corner kick in off the goalkeeper for the 6-1 lead (30 seconds in).  Forward Jesse Mora scored Aberdeen’s seventh goal when Lopez slotted a ball through to him, and he chipped it over the keeper and in the net.  Josue Ambrocio, with another assist going to Garcia, scored the final tally.
    The second half shutout went to freshman keeper Gilberto Martinez, and substitutes Jose Barragan, Peter Lentz, Christian Salin, Dago Hernandez, Francisco Orellana, and Trevor Bieker played well off the bench.
    “We totally confounded an overmatched team and combined coming forward with some quality finishes.  We had some great play off the bench and everyone got involved in the attack”.
    We are now 7-1 in league, 9-1 overall, and we play next on Thursday at Elma.

    The junior varsity game was canceled due to a lack of players for River Ridge.


AHS C-Squad Soccer vs Olympia.  Won 2-0.  4-16-08.
Jose Oropeza scored twice to lead Aberdeen to a 2-0 victory over Olympia in C Squad boys soccer play at the Bishop Athletic Complex on Wednesday.  Erik Padilla assisted on both of Oropeza’s goals. The Bobcat (7-2) defense, including goalkeeper Alex Richters, were cited for their play against the Bears. 
 

AHS Boys Soccer at Elma. Won 3-1.     4-17-08
ELMA — The weather was better and the score was closer this time around, but the outcome was the same as earlier: Aberdeen 3, Elma 1, in Evergreen 2A Conference boys soccer play Thursday at Davis Field.
The Bobcats (8-1, 10-1), who won the first meeting, 5-1, at Stewart Field, scored their first goal with seven minutes gone on a cross by senior midfielder Kerwin Talbot to senior forward Andy Liscomb.
Four minutes later, Aberdeen grabbed a 2-0 lead on the shellshocked Eagles.
Senior midfielder Zach Zora received a pass from Jesse Mora and punched the ball into the net past the outstretched hands of the Eagles senior goalkeeper Ryan Phillipi.
Elma defenders stiffened at that point and were able to hold off Aberdeen for the remainder of the first half. The defensive momentum carried over in the second half as it took the Bobcats until the 69th minute to finish off their scoring.
Junior Victor Garcia found senior Jay Hardy inside the penalty box and Hardy converted for a 3-0 lead.
On the other side of the field, Aberdeen’s defense only allowed one shot on goal in the first half and five total for Elma (3-6, 4-7).
“It was a physical game tonight which made it hard to pass the ball,” Aberdeen coach Larry Fleming said after the game. “We had plenty of shots on the goal. We’re looking forward to the contest Monday night (at Black Hills). We would like to win the league outright for the third year in a row. ”
The Bobcats had plenty of opportunities with 17 shots on goal. Phillipi earned his keep with 10 saves on the night.
Elma’s lone goal came in the 71st minute as senior Brett Spence converted a penalty kick to snap the shutout.
“I thought Konstantin Mueller had a good game tonight,” Elma coach Jeff Lenherr said. “Our defense played really good tonight, except for a couple of mistakes which hurt us in the first half. We played them even up in the second half.”

The Bobcats won the JV game, 1-0, on a goal by Christian Salin.


AHS C-Squad Soccer at Timberline.  Won 6-2.  4-18-08.
Erik Padilla scored a hat trick, Jose Galeana had two, and Jose Oropeza scored one.    They are 8-2 on the season.
Tony Ramos was cited for fine play by Bobcat Assitant Coach Ryan Harless.

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Week 4 - 4/7-4/11

AHS Boys Soccer vs Hoquiam.  Won 2-0.            4-8-08
    Aberdeen’s and Hoquiam’s soccer teams returned from spring vacation Tuesday, but the Bobcats were the only ones able to produce on a cold night at Stewart Field.
Senior forward Slim Abid delivered two markers for the Bobcats, one in each half, to give the hosts a 2-0 Evergreen 2A boys soccer win over the Grizzlies.
“We played very well in the second and in the last 20 minutes of the first half, but I could tell that we were coming back from spring break,” AHS coach Larry Fleming said. “In the second half, our passes were better, our defensive coverage was tighter and we controlled the game. We had a lot of great chances in the second half.”
Hoquiam coach Fidel Sanchez was pleased with how his team played, given just one substitute to work with on the night.
“I’m very pleased; 2-0 with just one sub against one of the top-five teams in the state, I’ll take it,” Sanchez said. “We didn’t threaten them enough. We need to do better with that.”
Hoquiam goalkeeper Doug Rowell turned away an Abid shot with a jumping save in the 11th minute, forcing a corner kick for Aberdeen (5-1, 7-1). The first one was cleared back for another attempt, which the Bobcats converted.
Junior Everardo Lopez sent an arcing kick to the far left post, where Abid found space and headed the ball into the net in the 12th minute.
Hoquiam (2-4, 3-4), which had trouble sustaining pressure in front of Aberdeen’s goal, got some on the Bobcats out of the halftime break. However, they were unable to threaten and needed two Rowell saves, including a diving stop of a Victor Garcia shot, to stay close.
“He’s a first-year player and I’m very pleased with what he did tonight,” Sanchez said of Rowell. “In between (the AHS goals), he kept us in the game. He kept us afloat with some nice low saves. It was good to see a promising keeper like that get the saves and build his confidence.”
Abid finished the Bobcats’ tally when he controlled the ball just outside of the penalty box, shifted to his left foot and delivered a bullet shot past Rowell for a 2-0 lead in the 59th minute.
Two minutes after Abid scored, Hoquiam’s Gabe Arias nearly put the Grizzlies on the board when his point-blank shot was met by Aberdeen goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke. The ball was deflected away, giving Eli Abbott a chance for a volley shot, but Schmidtke turned that one away as well.
“Hoquiam came out with a lot of intensity and did a lot of things right,” Fleming noted. “Erich did a nice job for us. He knocked the ball down on the cross and made the save down low, which got away from him. That was a great save.”
Late in the game, Aberdeen’s Lopez collided with Abid and was taken off the field with a head injury.
The Bobcats were without two starters — Rigo PugaDeLaRosa due to a lower-leg injury and Andy Liscombe due to a red card against Tumwater — while the Grizzlies were without Jose Perez due to team rule violations.

In the junior varsity match, Aberdeen blanked Hoquiam, 3-0.

On Thursday, Aberdeen travels to Centralia, while Hoquiam hosts Elma.


Aberdeen’s C Squad vs  Shelton,  Lost 2-1, 4-9-08.
Erik Padilla scored in that contest.  Coach Ryan Harless cited Spencer Sharma and Nick Barence for great hustle and effort.


AHS Boys Soccer at Centralia.  Won 4-2 (1-1 regulation).  4-10-08.
    Perfect on four penalty kicks, short-handed Aberdeen edged Centralia in a shootout, 1-1 (4-2), in an Evergreen 2A Conference boys soccer match Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Bobcats (6-1, 8-1) overcame the absence of six starters due to illness and injury.
“I just wanted to stay close and it worked out great,” said Bobcat coach Larry Fleming. “The kids really stepped up, as they tend to do in situations like that.”
Aberdeen, however, trailed 1-0 late in regulation. Then Jesse Mora sent a long pass to Slim Abid, who crossed the ball to Jay Hardy. The latter flicked it home from 12 yards out with 1:50 remaining.
The two five-minute overtimes wound up scoreless, resulting in the shootout.
Aberdeen goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke blocked the first Centralia penalty kick. That was all the opening the Bobcats needed as Abid, Josue Ambrocio, Victor Garcia and James Sanchez each converted their shots.
When Schmidtke also made the save on Centralia’s fourth attempt, the fifth round was unnecessary.
Fleming cited the play of Schmidtke in goal and defenders Juan Meraz, Tyler Rabey, Nathan Peck and Jerad Spaur.

The junior varsity match ended in a scoreless tie, with Aberdeen’s Gilberto Martinez and goalkeeper Raul Sanchez cited for fine play.

The Bobcats entertain River Ridge on Tuesday.

AHS Boys Soccer vs Black Hills. Lost 1-2. 3-24-08

Aberdeen started a little slow after the 3-day Easter weekend, but once they got thier touch, they dominated in every aspect of the game exept for scoring. They outshot Black Hills 15-5 but were unable to capitalize on plenty of good scoring chances.

The first half was pretty evenly played, with both teams missing on chances that they probably should have scored on. Aberdeen gave up a goal with about 12 minutes remaining in the 1st half on a header. They came right back and dominated the last 10 minutes until halftime and equalized off a terrific combination up front. Rigo PugaDeLaRosa sent a long ball to the head of Slim Abid, who in turn headed the ball to James Sanchez. Sanchez cut it back and blasted a nice shot from about 18 yards out. Tyler Rabey headed a corner just over the crossbar and PugaDeLaRosa hit the post on another chance late in the half.

After the break, Aberdeen picked up the pace and kept the pressure on the Black Hills defense with some great runs at their goal. They kept the ball in the Wolves' defensive end for almost the entire half, but could not get one in the goal. Poor finishing and strong defense combined to keep the Bobcats from going ahead. With about 11 minutes left in the game, on their first good shot on goal in the second half, Black Hills scored off a long shot when two AHS defenders failied to communicate and clear a ball out. Aberdeen did not quit and pounded crosses and shots at the Black Hills goal but couldn't convert.

Juan Meraz and Kerwin Talbot on defense, and Everardo Lopez at midfield had strong games for AHS.

"If was unfortunate that we were not able to get a ball in the net in the second half because we dominated possession and should have been rewarded for some really good passes and crosses".

This puts us at 4-1 on the season (2-1 league) and we play at W.F. West on Wednesday.

The junior varsity won 3-1. They are also 4-1 on the season. Christian Salin, Francisco Martinez, and Tim Shin scored, with Aaron Hardy and Jesse Mora contributing assists. Bobcat Assistant Alfie Bensinger cited Christian Salin for a solid game for the Cats.

Bobcat C Squad vs North Thurston. Won 4-0. 3-27-08

Jose Galeana registered two goals and assisted on two more to drive

Aberdeen's C Squad boys soccer team past North Thurston, 4-0, on Tuesday at

Lacey.Caleb Phillips added a goal and an assist, Erik Padilla scored one goal and

Spencer Sharma added an assist for the Bobcats.

AHS Boys Soccer at Chehalis. Won 5-1. 3-26-08

Aberdeen played pretty well considering the elements and field

conditions. It was snowing pretty heavily, and temperature were well below

freezing with the wind-chill factor, and the players' cleats were getting

iced up and had to be constantly cleaned off. It was the first time in

memory where AHS played in a heavy snowfall. They outshot Chehalis 22-4.

Although they were in control from the start, the Cats continued their

struggles putting the ball in the net in the first 30 minutes or so. With

about 18 minutes remaining in the 1st frame, defender Kerwin Talbot crossed

a ball to forward Slim Abid, who shot the ball hard and it deflected off the

Bearcat keeper. James Sanchez followed it in and put AHS up 1-0. The

opponents were able to score on a very long shot that snuck over the head of

goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke to tie it up 1-1 just 10 minutes later. Aberdeen

did not let that get them down, and they scored in the 35th minute to go up

2-1 when Josue Ambrocio followed another deflected shot in (this time a shot

by Everardo Lopez).

In the 2nd half, the Bobcats kept the pressure on, getting numerous

chances and, unlike the previous game and a half, they capitalized on some

of them. Lopez was taken down in the box after receiving a great pass from

Jay Hardy, and then Lopez knocked in the penalty kick to give AHS a two goal

cushion. Sanchez then scored his second goal, putting Aberdeen up 4-1 in

the 61st minute, when Lopez sent a cornerkick in to the head of midfielder

Victor Garcia, who headed it across the face of the goal to Sanchez, who

then finished it far post and over the fingertips of the keeper. Finishing

off the scoring with 14 minutes remaining was left midfielder Rigo

PugaDeLaRosa, who converted a terrific cross from Lopez, volleying the ball

out of the air and into the net before the Bearcat goalkeeper knew it was by

him. Lopez, with three assists and a goal, Chris Field at midfield, Ambrocio

at forward, and Tyler Rabey at Stopper (center defender) had outstanding

performances for AHS.

"It was hard to gage how well we played with the slippery surface making

our footing so difficult. We didn't have as much possession as we would

like, but we did convert some nice goals".

We are now 3-1 in league, 5-1 overall, and we play next on Friday

against league leader Tumwater at Stewart Field.

The junior varsity won 7-1. They are 5-1 on the season. Jose Baragan

had two goals, and Britt Coverdale, Dago Hernandez, Jesse Mora, Christian

Salin, and Gilberto Martinez scored once. Three assists for Trevor Bieker,

two for Kurtis Teeters, and one for Tim Shin. Salin and Bieker were cited

for good play by Bobcat Assistant Alfie Bensinger.

AHS Boys Soccer vs Tumwater. Won 2-0. 3-28-08

Aberdeen finally was rewarded for 80 minutes of soccer domination on Friday

night.Tyler Rabey and Victor Garcia scored in the final 15 minutes as the Bobcats

handed Tumwater its first loss, 2-0, in an Evergreen 2A Conference boys soccer

match at soggy, frigid Stewart Field. The score scarcely reflected Aberdeenâs control of the contest.

The Bobcats (4-1 in league, 6-1 overall) maintained possession for perhaps 90 percent of a

match played almost exclusively in Tumwaterâs defensive end.

The T-Birds (also 4-1 in league) didnât muster their first true shot on-goal

until the final eight minutes. Aberdeen goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke wasn't

required to make his first moderately difficult save until the closing three minutes.

"For the terrible conditions, we passed the ball great," Aberdeen coach Larry

Fleming exulted. "This was an excellent game against one of the top teams in

our league. We passed well and defended well."

Even so, the T-Birds , who had allowed only one previous goal in league

competition, lived up to their defensive reputation. With senior goalkeeper

Quinn Gagnon making three spectacular saves in the first half alone, Tumwater

repeatedly denied the Cats on a succession of free and corner kicks.

Aberdeen missed one of its best chances in the 65th minute. Senior Andy

Liscombe seemingly had Gagnon beaten on a mid-range shot, only to have a

Tumwater defender make the stop.

Seconds later, however, the Bobcats were awarded a corner kick. Garcia sent the

ball perfectly in front of the goal, from where Rabey, normally a defender who

moves up front on such plays, headed it off Gagnonâs body and into the net.

Garcia, who had several near-misses earlier in the contest, provided some

insurance by knocking home a free kick with slightly less than four minutes

remaining. The one sour note for the Bobcats came in the final minute when Liscombe

received two yellow cards. That equates to a red card, which will knock him out

of Aberdeen's next contest, at home against Hoquiam on April 8.

Rabey provided considerable value in addition to his goal. The senior defender

marked up on Tumwater standout Hank Bryant.

Fleming also cited the defensive play of Nathan Peck, Jerad Spaur and Kerwin

Talbot.

Two Bobcat starters, Juan Meraz and Everardo Lopez, missed the contest due to

conflicting commitments. Junior forward Rigo PugaDeLaRosa was also hobbled by a

hip pointer.

"One luxury I have this year is depth," Fleming acknowledged.

The Bobcats, who had played two of their previous three matches in snow, were

at least spared that form of weather last night. But the contest was staged in

raw, windy conditions, with rain falling steadily during the first half.

The junior varsity match ended in a scoreless tie. Aberdeenâs Trevor Bieker and

Kurtis Teeters were cited for fine play.

Current Evergreen Conference Standings:

Black Hills	5	0
Aberdeen	4	1
Tumwater	4	1
Centralia	3	2
Hoquiam	2	3
Elma	2	3
River Ridge	0	5
W.F. West	0	5

Bobcat C Squad at Tumwater. Won 6-3. 3-31-08

Jose Galeana and Erik Padilla each registered a hat trick to lead Aberdeen past Tumwater, 6-3, in C Squad boys soccer play on Monday at Tumwater Stadium.

Bobcat C Squad at Black Hills. Won 8-0. 3-17-08

Frankie Martinez, Jose Galeana and Erik Padilla had two goals apiece as Aberdeen walloped Black Hills, 8-0, in a C Squad boys soccer game Monday at Tumwater.Padilla also had two assists, while Galeana and Jon Moore added one apiece for the Bobcats. Alex Richters and Caleb Phillips scored the other AHS goals.Richters and Tony Ramos combined for the shutout in goal, with Casey Laufman cited by Bobcat coach Ryan Harless for fine play.

AHS Boys Soccer at River Ridge. Won 12-0. 3-18-08

The AHS boys played a very good game, starting strong and keeping that intensity throughout the match, even though they put the game out of reach early. The score was actually not indicative of the disparity in team skill, it was actually worse! Even though AHS switched their players around, played subs the majority of the game, and even played their two goalies (Erich Schmidtke and Jimmy Myhre) at striker the last 20 minutes, they could not keep the score down. The shots on goal were 45-7 in favor of the Bobcats.

In the 1st half, Aberdeen scored just a minute and 42 seconds into the game on a goal by Rigo PugaDeLaRosa, assisted by Victor Garcia. Jay Hardy and Slim Abid assisted on Andy Liscombe's goal 5 minutes later. Kerwin Talbot, assist by Lalo Lopez, was the 4th AHS goal about halfway through the first, and Josue Ambrocio (on a p.k. - assisted by Tyler Rabey & Jay Hardy) and Liscombe - assisted by James Sanchez & Garcia - finished out the scoring to make it 6-0 at half.

In the 2nd half, the Bobcats played just as hard, winning the 50/50 balls in the air, and passing well, and taking a lot of hard tackles from River Ridge, and scored 4 minutes in this time on a goal by Abid, a header off a cross from Lopez. And unassisted goal by Hardy gave Aberdeen's it's 8th 10 minutes into the half, and number 9 was Garcia on a pass from Lopez. The 10th Bobcat goal went to Nathan Peck after being taken down in the box by the RRHS keeper (assisted by Javier Camacho) and Camacho scored an unassisted goal to put AHS up 11-0. Zach Zora, another assist to Camacho, scored the final tally.

The shutout went to Schmidkte, Myhre, and Ambrocio in the goal. Sanchez, Zora, and Camacho played well in the field.

"Our entire team passed and defended well, and we were able to work on finishing. We enjoyed this game but we'll get back to work tomorrow and prepare for Elma".

We are now 1-0 in league, 2-0 overall, and we play next on Thursday vs Elma at Stewart Field.

The junior varsity won 12-0. Peter Lentz, Christian Salin, and Gilberto Martinez 2 goals each, and Tim Shin, David Sanchez, Jesse Mora, Raul Sanchez, Francisco Martinez, and Dago Hernandez 1 goal apiece. Britt Coverdale, Aaron Hardy, Israel Meraz, Oliver Stanton, Kurtis Teeters, Francisco Arceo assisted for AHS.

AHS Boys Soccer vs Elma. Won 5-1. 3-20-08

It may have been the first day of spring but you couldn't tell it Thurs day at Stewart Field in Aberdeen as the Aberdeen Bobcats defeated the ElmaEagles, 5-1, in an Evergreen Conference 2A boys soccer game played duringrain and snow showers."We've had snow before but not three weeks into the season." Aberdeen coach Larry Fleming said afterward.The Bobcats got off to a fast start, appearing to have scored with just over a minute gone in the contest but the referee ruled a Bobcat offside - he was not but the goal was disallowed anyway.

That didn't deter the Bobcats, though, as senior forward Slim Abid punched the ball past Elma goalkeeper Ryan Phillipi after an assist by midfielderKerwin Talbot with less than four minutes gone.Elma tied it with just over 23 minutes left in the first half after a cornerkick assist to junior midfielder Ernie Cidillo.The Bobcats went ahead for good with just over 10 minutes left in the firsthalf on an unassisted goal by senior forward Andy Liscombe."The field conditions were good in the first half, but it went soft and wehad some injuries with rolled ankles. We already had two players out with injuries." said Elma coach Jeff Lenherr. It was all Aberdeen in the second half as the Bobcats (2-0, 4-0) added three more goals.Senior midfielder Jay Hardy handled the first one unassisted.Talbot got a goal after an assist by James Sanchez midway through the half, and thefinal goal came on a penalty-kick shot by senior midfielder Sanchez.

"The first half we didn't have a great touch but we took it to them in thesecond half." Fleming said. "Good passing, leading up to goals. It was agood game for us."

The Bobcats had six shots on goal in the first half to only two by theEagles and followed that up with nine shots in the second half to only oneby the Eagles.Phillipi was busy for the Eagles, as he had 11 saves.

The Bobcats host Black Hills on Monday. The Eagles (0-2, 1-3) travel to River Ridge that night.

The junior varsity won 10-1.

Aberdeen C Squad vs Capital. Won 8-0. 3-21-08

Jose Galeana scored twice as Aberdeen trounced Capital, 8-0, in a C Squad boys soccer game Friday at the Bishop Athletic Complex. Nick Barene, Erik Padilla, Alex Richters, Alex Escobar and Casey Laufmann (the latter on a header) also scored for Aberdeen. The other Bobcat tally came when a Capital player inadvertently put the ball in his own net.

Carmelo Hernandez collected two assists, while Padilla and Ricky Enquist were cited for fine play.

AHS Boys Soccer vs Capital. Won 1-0. 3-11-08

Aberdeen planned to use Tuesday's season opener against Capital to see where everyone would play. The Bobcats discovered a possible scoring combination in the process.

After coming up just short on previous attempts, Rigo PugaDeLaRosa connected on a crossing pass that forward Slim Abid converted in the 67th minute to give Aberdeen a 1-0 non-league boys soccer win over the Cougars at the Bishop Athletic Complex.

AHS coach Larry Fleming planned on using the match as an extended scrimmage, but glowed afterward about his team's ball-control and passing.

"For the first game of the season, we passed the ball around great," Fleming said. "You're still putting all of the guys together, but the passes were sharp. We looked good. That was a pretty good win against a solid club. They won their league last year. I thought we had more chances and shots, but were poor on our finishing. Give their defense credit for that, they were in position to do that."

The lone marker was the end result of the Bobcats' controlled offense, which frustrated the Class 3A Cougars for stretches of the match.

PugaDeLaRosa slowed down the beginning sequence, taking on two Capital defenders with one foot on the ball. He found Victor Garcia in the middle to clear, then got the ball back on a long pass from Jay Hardy on the far right wing.

Waiting for help, PugaDeLaRosa beat one defender and dribbled along the end line before sending a low, skipping cross that beat Capital's goalkeeper. Abid simply tapped the ball into the net just inside the far right post for the goal.

"Rigo did a great job of crossing the ball; we should have had five more goals on his crosses today," Fleming said

For long stretches of the match, Aberdeen kept possession and pressured Capital's defense. PugaDeLaRosa, Hardy, Garcia, Everardo Lopez and Kerwin Talbot were the main architects of the Bobcats' ball-control offense on this day.

However, the Cougars had their chances, especially in the second half, to post their own score. The best one came in the 48th minute when Bobcat senior goalkeeper Erich Schmidtke dove hard to his left to smother a sharp attempt from Tri Nguyen.

Schmidtke, who along with junior starter Jimmy Myhre, earned the shutout in goal, but Schmidtke faced more attempts in the second half than the junior did.

On Saturday, Aberdeen hosts Yelm at 2 p.m. at the Bishop Athletic Complex.

In the junior varsity match, Capital knocked off Aberdeen, 1-0. Trevor Bieker and Pete Lentz were cited for their play.

C-Squad vs Olympia. Lost 1-3 . 3/10/08

Jesse Mora scored lone goal for AHS. Assisted by Nick Barene.

C-Squad vs Timberline. Won 4-1 . 3/12/08

Jesse Mora with two goals, Jose Galeana also with two. Spencer Sharma, Erik Padilla, and Ricky Enquist with assists. Good games by Nick Barene, Sharma, and Tony Ramos in goal.

AHS Boy's Soccer vs Yelm. Won 2-1. 3-15-08

The AHS boys were not at their best, (sweeper Juan Meraz was out sick and many players are playing hurt or with illness) but they played well enough for a strong win, their second this week against AAA competition. The Bobcats slowly picked up the tempo, on offense and defense, and ended up playing almost the entire final 60 minutes in the opponents defensive end. Aberdeen outshot Yem about 16 to 6.

In the 1st half, Aberdeen won the ball in the air time and time again, and had better passing combinations going forward down the pitch, although their control was a little off. Some very good runs by James Sanchez, Slim Abid, and Victor Garcia were inches away from putting AHS ahead.

After the break, the Bobcats pounded the ball at the YHS defense but were unable to score because of a combination of poor shooting, and a fairly strong defensive squad for the Tornadoes. Aberdeen finally put one in about halfway through the second frame on an unassisted goal by forward Rigo PugaDeLaRosa, who ripped a shot from 20 yards away over the head of the keeper. 10 minutes later, Abid scored on a 40 yard shot from the left sideline that drifted over the head of the keeper at the far post (whether he was crossing or shooting is up to debate!). A defensive let down with a couple of minutes left in the game, when a cross was headed in from an poorly marked Yelm player, cost Erich Schmidtke the complete game shutout.

The defense of Tyler Rabey, Chris Field, Javier Camacho, Jared Spaur, and Nathan Peck shutdown the Tornadoes throughout the match.

"Our play picked up as the match stretched on, and in the second half we quit dribbling so much and were able to play it away accurately with one or two good touches - it was a solid effort and another good warmup for league."

We are now 2-0 overall, and we play next on Tuesday against River Ridge at 5:00 at South Sound Stadium (time change from original sch.).

The junior varsity won 10-0. 1-1 on the season. Francisco Martinez: 3 goals/ 2 assists, Jesse Mora: 2 goals, 4 assists, Francisco Orellana: 2 goals, and Jose Barragan, Peter Lentz, Trevor Bieker had one each for the Cats.