Sawyer Rhodes takes a shot in Tuesday’s Channel League game against Dos Pueblos. (John Dvorak/Presidio Sports Photos)
Justyn Barrios and the Santa Barbara High defense held Dos Pueblos to one goal over the first three quarters to win their Channel League opener, 7-4, on Tuesday in the Dons’ pool.
The Dons were able to play aggressively on defense with Barrios having a good game behind them. Santa Barbara’s goalie blocked 11 shots in a game which the Dons led 7-1 before DP shaved off three goals in the final minutes.
“He’s got really long arms so he can get to corners that look wide open,” said Dons head coach Mark Walsh of his goaltender.
Walsh also singled out Blake Spiller for his defense at center. Chargers head coach Chris Parrish noted his team’s difficulty getting anything going in front of the cage.
“Very rarely were we able to get any kind of looks from inside. They just kind of collapsed on us,” Parrish said.
“We were really pressing and smothering their top scorers and let the other guys shoot,” said Dons leading scorer Sawyer Rhodes, who scored a game-high four goals.
Dos Pueblos had an opportunity to take the game’s first lead when Taylor Gustason forced two ejections within seconds of each other. With a two-man advantage, the Dons made the defensive stop when Adam Gross blocked a shot.
Dos Pueblos’ defense was effective as well, holding the Dons scoreless until Even Blix broke the 0-0 tie with 6:12 to go in the second quarter.
“That’s the best our defense has looked all season,” Parrish said.
The Chargers slowed Santa Barbara down but couldn’t altogether stop the Dons, ranked No. 3 in CIF Division 2.
After Quinn Peacock tied the game at 1-1, Rhodes scored the first of six unanswered at the 3:00 mark of the second period. DP killed two 6-on-5s before halftime, yet couldn’t prevent Rhodes from scoring again in transition to put the Dons up 3-1 at halftime.
Starting the 4th quarter with a 5-1 lead, Rhodes scored his final goal on an assist from Gross, finishing between three defenders. Jake Castillo was left unguarded and scored on a cross-cage shot with 6:01 on the clock to give the Dons their 7-1 lead.
“I’d love for us to generate some more goals than four, but holding them to seven goals in a game, that’s really good work for us,” Parrish said.
Both teams have another league game on Thursday. Santa Barbara meets Ventura while Dos Pueblos takes on Buena.
SANTA BARBARA 7, DOS PUEBLOS 3
DP 0 1 0 3 – 4
SB 0 3 2 2 – 7
DP Goals – Peacock 2, Gustason, Elliott
SB Goals – Rhodes 4, Blix, Castillo, Rottman
