Tanner soccer advances to second round with win over Danville
Apr. 27—An early goal in the second half by Tanner Rattlers midfielder Steven Lopez broke a 2-2 tie and it held up to give the Rattlers a 3-2 victory against the Danville Hawks Monday night at Danville High School. This was the first round of the 2021 AHSAA Boys Soccer Tournament.
Danville got out to a quick 1-0 lead in the just the fifth minute of the first half. But it didn't take long for the Rattlers to tie it up as senior captain Rodrigo Lagunas found the back of the net in the ninth minute of the first half.
Plenty of time went off the clock before the next goal was scored. In the 34th minute, Tanner's Randy Cortes used some nifty footwork to bypass two Danville defenders and find the back of the net to put the Rattlers up 2-1.
Danville was awarded a free-kick outside the goalie box in the 37th minute after a penalty went against the Rattlers. Hawks midfielder Justin Hanline took the shot and got it by Tanner's goalkeeper Emmanuel Gonzalez to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the second half.
In the fifth minute of the second half, Lopez kicked one from far outside the goalie box and into the net to retake the lead. Tanner played good defense the rest of the way to secure a spot in the second round of the playoffs.
"We started off slow, but we got things going and fixed things up in the second half," Tanner head coach Matt Smith said. "We switched our formation around a little bit, which I think helped us on the attacking end and put another one away to seal the win."
Smith knows they have a lot left to play for as they head into the second round of the playoffs, but he couldn't be more proud of his players, especially the senior captains.
"Jorge Leon Tovar played really well in the second half and stepped up," he said. "Rodrigo played great the whole game. He played lights out tonight. It was one of his best games all year."
Lagunas is a senior and knows that this is his last season as a member of the Tanner Rattlers soccer team. But he's confident in his team and thinks this group is special.
"We don't give up until the clock hits zero," he said. "I think we'll make it far."
Tanner will face off against the Collinsville Panthers at 7 p.m. Friday in the second round at Tanner High School.
