PATTERSON — Sixth-seeded East Union had three goals negated in the first half Tuesday but eventually got one to stay in the net on the way to a 1-0 semifinal win over No. 2 Patterson in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys soccer playoffs.
The Lancers (13-3-8) have advanced to the final round a second straight year and seek their first section title.
“We played a strong team and matched up pretty evenly,” Lancers coach Ronnie Green said. “They controlled the first half a little better than we did. We definitely controlled the second half thanks to having a deeper squad. I went about 15 deep where they were not able to get that many subs in. That was the game-changer.”
Five minutes into the second half, Fabrizio Herrera-Garrido took an assist from Noe Martinez and beat the goalie for the Tigers (15-4-2), giving East Union a lead it would not relinquish.
Fernando Ambriz posted four saves for the Lancers.
After winning the opening playoff game against No. 11 El Capitan of Merced, East Union has beaten third-seeded Pacheco of Los Banos and No. 2 Patterson. The Lancers will now face top seeded Galt on Saturday at either Liberty Ranch in Galt or Whitney in Rocklin at a time to be determined.