High Desert Soccer: Sultana rallies to force a draw with Hesperia in a MRL showdown
A 2-0 lead in soccer is often called the most dangerous score a team can have.
The worry with having a two-goal lead is that it could lead the team to become complacent, paving the way for the losing team to make a comeback.
Right before halftime on Friday, Hesperia led Sultana 2-0. On the last play of the half, Sultana’s Giovanni Vitela sent a free kick into the box, headed in for a goal by Steve Arevalo.
The momentum shifted, and Sultana came out in the second half trying to bring the game back even.
Twenty minutes into the second half, Sultana got a free-kick opportunity just next to the corner. The ball bounced around the box for a second but landed right in front of Edgar Melesio.
“It fell right to my feet, I had to make it to tie the game,” Melesio said.
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Melesio rolled it in from inside of the box to tie up the game at 2. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
“Comfortably as a coach, 2-0 is the worst score you can ever have because if a team scores they gain momentum. As you can see we scored before the half, our momentum shifts,” said Sultana head coach Paul Mog.
It was a physical matchup between the two rival schools with at least seven yellow cards handed out to the players on the field.
The Scorpions controlled possession for the majority of the first half with both goals coming within 10 minutes of each other.
Hesperia’s Jimmy Castillo received a pass from Jared Miranda and found himself one-on-one with Sultana goalkeeper Hayden Millard. Castillo did not miss and put Hesperia on the board.
Jorge Negrete scored the second goal for Hesperia with less than five minutes to go in the first half. Negrete dribbled right past the defender and rifled it in the top part of the goal.
The one area that Sultana had Hesperia beat throughout the game was in set pieces. Both of the Sultan goals came from set pieces and they came very close to scoring a few other times.
“We really need to work on manufacturing goals in the field of play because if you don’t get a foul you don’t get a set piece. If you don’t get a corner you don’t get a set piece,” Mog said.
What it means
The race for the Mojave River League league title is going to be a fun ride. Sultana forcing a draw leaves the two squads tied for first place with 3-0-1 records, with Oak Hills right behind at 3-1.
Hesperia wraps up the first round of MRL action Wednesday afternoon at home against Oak Hills, while Sultana heads to Apple Valley.
Hesperia beat Apple Valley 7-1 earlier this week, and Sultana squeezed out a 1-0 victory over Oak Hills on Jan. 5.
Key play
Sultana’s first set-piece goal helped set the table for the comeback in the second half. Setting up from near the half marker, Vitela sent the ball into the box just as a running Arevalo headed the ball straight in.
Players of the match
Negrete can change the game in an instant with his dribbling skill and sure did that with his goal that gave Hesperia a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Melesio was in the right place at the right time on Sultana’s second set-piece goal. Melesio tied the game with his fifth goal of the season.
They said it
Melesio on the rivalry between the two Hesperia teams: “It’s just more intense, you know, knowing how they play.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Sultana rallies for a draw with Hesperia in a MRL boys soccer showdown
