The Dos Pueblos boys soccer team finished in third place at the Cabrillo Tournament Saturday after two close losses to eventual-champion Santa Maria and second-place Pioneer Valley.
In the 1-0 loss to Pioneer Valley, coach Tovi Elasen counted 13 shots on goal for DP and only five for the Panthers, but PV was able to convert one in the 26th minute.
“We just failed to clear a ball and they put it away… Even though I though we were the better team it just didn’t work out,” said Eliasen.
In the second game, the Chargers faced a Santa Maria team that Eliasen said was one of the best squads DP has faced so far this year. He added that it “had the feel of a championship game.”
The Chargers scored first, as Eduardo Cortez used his head and scored off of an assist from Luis Mendoza in the 12th minute. Cortez was injured after colliding with the goalie on the play and sat out for 30 minutes before returning.
Santa Maria responded in the 33rd minute, and put another one away just four minutes before the match ended (tournament matches Saturday were played with 25-minute halves),
“I was proud of the guys,” said Eliasen. “They raised their intensity and kept fighting, which is something we’ve been working on. It was a good tournament.”
DP is now 5-7-1.
