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Manuel Montanez sends the ball upfield.   |
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The T’Wolves picked up consecutive shutouts right out of the gate as Sierra beat Franklin, 2-0, in the tournament opener and followed it up with a 3-0 win over Stagg.
Sierra fell to Central Valley, 1-0, in Game 3 but despite being tied in tournament points (19) with the Hawks, Central Valley moved on to the championship round on the strength of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
In the consolation championship, Sierra fell to East Union, 5-3.
The Lancers started the tournament with a 4-0 win over Orestimba in which Alex Hernandez collected a hat trick and Brandon McGuiness added a score of his own.
East Union then blanked Sonora, 4-0, when Julio Pimentel racked up another hat trick and Juan Pablo Palomera added the cherry on top.
“Overall, we performed well,” EU head coach Clarence Goes said. “We need a little more communication, we still have to click a little better, but I was happy with the kids today.”
While East Union’s defense remains mostly intact from a season ago, the midfielders and forwards are primarily new faces this season. It showed at times Saturday.
“We had first-half problems in every game,” Goes said.
The Lancers faced eventual tournament champion Chavez in the semifinals and fell 4-2. Juan Vazquez and Pimentel found net in the loss.
Pimentel, Francois Velasquez and Victor Garibay all scored in the win over Sierra.
“Both teams were a little worn out (in the consolation championship),” Goes said. “Both were switching in and out, there was a lot of cramping. It was pretty hot, and we didn’t have many subs.”
Chavez upended Central Valley, 1-0, to take home the hardware.
East Union hosts West Thursday.
Sierra travels to St. Mary’s Wednesday.
— Brandon Petersen
