High Desert Soccer: Adelanto scores against short-handed Granite Hills to force a tie
A controversial double-yellow penalty card in the second half drastically altered the course of the Granite Hills soccer team’s attack against Adelanto on Tuesday night.
Granite Hills had the opportunity to take a commanding lead in the Desert Sky League standings with a win but instead had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Julian Weaver Stadium.
After 80 scoreless minutes in the first matchup between the two teams earlier this month, it took another 30 minutes for Granite Hills to finally break the tie.
Following a failed clearance on a corner kick, sophomore Diego Perez struck a low-driven shot into the back right corner of the net to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
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Granite Hills held that lead 13 minutes into the second half until the yellow cards started to come out.
Granite Hills center back and team captain Nathan Rodriguez was pleading with the referee to stop play with one of his teammates down on the pitch after a collision. The referee took exception and gave Rodriguez a yellow card. As Rodriguez was leaving the field, the same referee carded him a second time, giving the senior a red card and causing Granite Hills to play down a man.
“I always get mad when players get a silly yellow, so I asked Nate what he did and he explained,” Granite Hills head coach Paul Casarez said. “He’s away from him, he is not talking to the ref, he’s telling me what he said and the ref gave him a second yellow. It changed the whole game.”
It took Adelanto just five minutes to capitalize on playing with the advantage as Rodrigo Orozco snuck past the defense and finished a ground cross with his left foot to tie the game 1-1.
Adelanto would set up multiple scoring chances throughout the rest of the second half but ultimately could not convert.
“Especially in those last 10 minutes, we were just dominating the entire time. I was just thinking ‘C’mon, let’s just get one,’” Adelanto head coach Orlando Hernandez said. “Coach Paul is known up here in the High Desert for a long time, his set pieces are always dangerous and that is how they got us.”
Casarez expressed after the game how proud he was of his unit for stepping up while they were down a man allowing just one goal in the final 27 minutes of play.
Granite Hills’ four-game clean sheet streak also came to an end with the draw.
“We’ve had momentum and we made sure that we were not going to be scored on. That mentality when we started league was already there. They worked their butts off and I’m proud of them,” Casarez said. “But I feel bad for them. It was a great game, we knew it was going to be a great game, but unfortunately, it was another tie.”
What it means
With the tie, Granite Hills maintains its place at the top of the DSL standings with 14 total points at a 4-0-2 record. Adelanto (3-0-3) remains in second place and is two points behind Granite Hills.
With two games remaining, a win and a tie would guarantee a share of first place for Granite Hills while two wins would clinch first place. For the Saints to finish top of the league without a tie, they would need to win out with Granite Hills losing at least one game.
Player of the match
Rodrigo Orozco receives player of the match for scoring the game-tying goal in the second half. Orozco’s goal ensured Adelanto would receive at least one point in the game and keep the Saints’ title hopes alive.
They said it
Casarez on Granite Hills’ place atop the standings with two games remaining: “We’re in the driver’s seat. Now we just have to focus on a huge game against Victor Valley. If we can beat Victor in that then we will see what other stuff plays out. Adelanto and Victor have to play their last game against each other, so maybe we can get a little help.”
Hernandez on what he is telling his team after the tie: “I am telling them that we are going back to the drawing board. That second half they have to show intensity, the strikers weren’t there to finish it off. But overall I am happy with my guys and their mental fortitude. Do we have to rely on results? Yes. But will we make sure that we beat Silverado and beat Victor? That’s our goal, yes.”
What’s next
Granite Hills is on the road to take on Victor Valley on Thursday. The Cougars beat Victor Valley 3-0 in the first matchup between the two teams.
Adelanto is on the road to take on Silverado, which has not won a DSL game this season. The Saints won the first matchup 5-2.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Prep Soccer: Adelanto and Granite Hills play to a tie in DSL showdown
