STOCKTON — Weston Ranch had a goal taken away after one of its own players was on the receiving end of a foul in the penalty box in its upset bid against East Union on Monday.
The Cougars still had a chance to knot the score with a penalty kick late in the first half, but East Union’s lead held up thanks to a save from Enrique Garcia. The visiting Lancers went on to escape with a 3-1 victory.
“We lost the momentum we had built up until that point,” Weston Ranch coach Francisco Cisneros said. “We had a lot of chances in the first half, including had one that hit the post with the goal wide open. I feel pretty good about the way the guys competed, we just couldn’t finish and lost to a better team, honestly.”
The reigning Valley Oak League champion Cougars (0-3-2, 2-7-5) took the first lead in the first 10 minutes of the match when Robert Gonzales connected with Mario Martinez, but East Union (2-0-1, 6-1-3) immediately responded on Jesus Hurtado’s goal.
Daniel Gomez pushed the Lancers ahead for good, and Trent Rivera delivered the back-breaking blow in the final minutes of the second half.
“They played pretty well,” East Union coach Edgar Zelaya said of Weston Ranch. “We played much better in the second half and their forwards barely got the ball, but in the first 20 minutes (of the game) they possessed it and passed really well. They have really young kids but they have talent. They can play.”
Oakdale 7, Lathrop 0
LATHROP — Oakdale (2-1-2, 8-4-2) took a comfortable 5-0 lead into halftime and got two goals apiece from Israel Valero and Alejandro Gonzalez in the rout.
Lathrop dropped to 0-4-1 in league, 4-7-2 overall.
“We were battling pretty good for 20-25 minutes, but once that first one dropped in we just fell apart,” Lathrop coach Alfredo Reynaga said. “They scored on a lot of quick corner kicks, throw-ins and direct kicks, which caught us off guard. The kids were not ready for it, they weren’t alert. Give Oakdale credit for capitalizing on those plays. That’s why they won, they were ready and we were not.”
Trans-Valley League
Escalon 7, Ripon 2
RIPON — Jordan Duran got Ripon (0-1, 3-4) started on the right foot in its TVL opener, scoring in the first half.
The rest of the match belonged to the visiting Cougars (2-0, 9-0-1), who got two goals and two assists from sophomore sensation Guilermo Alvarez. Escalon led 3-1 at halftime and never looked back. Patrick Maragos netted the Indians’ other goal.
“We made a lot of mistakes on defense and couldn’t kick the ball out of the back line,” Ripon coach Bryant Macias said. “Escalon is a very good team. They are very talented from the midfield to the forwards.”
