Goalkeepers Chris Castillo and Eric Katz came up huge in penalty-kick shootouts to help Dos Pueblos score a pair of victories over Pacifica and Ventura and take fifth place at the Buena Holiday Soccer Tournament on Wednesday.
In their first game of the day, the Chargers rallied to tie Pacifica 2-2 on goals by senior captain Rodrigo Perez. He scored in the 46th minute off a cross from Johnny Cruz and delivered the game-tying goal on a header off a free kick from Danny Rowell.
In the shootout, Castillo stopped two Pacifica shots to help secure the win and advance DP into the fifth-place game.
“He was brilliant in the shootout,” DP coach Tovi Eliasen said of Castillo. “He guessed right on every single shot and saved the last two.”
The Chargers and Ventura went to a shootout in the fifth-place match after battling to a scoreless draw in regulation time.
In this showdown, it was Katz who stepped in because Castillo suffered an injured finger. He made two saves and the Charger shot takers converted on all of their attempts.
“It was a trying pair of games,” Eliasen said. “Because of injuries, we had only one substitute for two straight games. The kids really stepped up. I thought they rose to the occasion. Both goalkeepers and kick takers had great focus. They wanted to win and come out with confidence from the tournament.”
Dos Pueblos (6-3-4) will one more nonleague game at Carpinteria on Tuesday before facing Ventura again in the Channel League opener next Thursday.
