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Lathrop lands first win in school history
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LATHROP — It has been a long time coming, but it’s finally here for the Lathrop Spartans who pulled in their first Valley Oak League win, 4-3, against Sonora Thursday.

Lathrop fought off a 2-0 deficit, outscoring Sonora 4-1 in the final 40 minutes.

“They played hard in the first half,” Lathrop head coach Ryan Biedermann said. “They scored two goals on corner kicks, but we just had consistent play the entire game.

“We got shots on goal in the first half, but we were able to get better opportunities in the second half.”

The Spartans completely dominated the second half of play, getting more shots on goal than the Wildcats. The final half of action gives Lathrop reason to believe success is in the not-so-distant future for the VOL’s newest program. The win was huge for the Spartans, giving a quality group of kids something to grow on over the next few seasons.

Miguel Chavez netted two goals, while teammates Wilmer Alvarez and Gilberto Duran both scored one.

“It was the first win for our varsity program,” Biedermann said. “The kids were just beside themselves. They played a hard game and they were very excited about the first win for the program.”

Biedermann took over the squad just after the league half way point, making the victory that much sweeter for the first-year coach.

Sierra 3, Oakdale 1
The Timberwolves took an early lead when Ricky Pacheco knocked home a goal in the 14th minute, giving Sierra a little breathing room on its way to another league victory.

David Reyes assisted Pacheco’s goal and Braian Gomez got in on the action in the second half, scoring twice on assists from Emmanuel Ortiz to seal the deal.

“I think we played extremely well,” Sierra head coach Jose Montes said. “It was a high intensity game from the beginning to the end. We didn’t play as well as a team, but we came out and put pressure on Oakdale.

“Effort wise, we did very good.”
— Jagada Chambers