Like a broken record, the Mingus Union High School boys soccer team continues to play the same tune game after game.
The Marauders [1-6-1, 1-2] lacked execution en route to their 3-0 loss to visiting Bradshaw Mountain High School on Jan. 17 at Bright Field.
“Our first half we only had five pass strings of three or more passes, and four of them were three passes and one of them was five,” Mingus head coach Calvin Behlow said. “If you can only make three passes and then turn the ball over, you’re not going to get anything done. It was just sheer execution.”
Twelve minutes into the game the Marauders saw their most promising chance of the half.
Sophomore midfielder Jovany Garcia played junior midfielder Kevin Ornelas down the right side, who sent a quality cross into the penalty area that was cleared by the Bears defense.
Three minutes after, Mingus was tasked with defending a free kick centrally placed and 20 yards from goal. The wall did its job, deflecting the shot, but the ball went out for a corner.
The ensuing laser-beam corner kick went untouched onto the left foot of Bradshaw Mountain senior midfielder Ricardo Ayala, who volleyed it straight into the left corner.
That sequence was a small paradigm of the Marauders’ play; they know what to do, they do it decently well, but not well enough to get the desired result.
The Bears showed quality in possessing and passing the ball throughout the field during the entire game. Mingus could not produce the same.
“Honestly it’s a lot of turning the ball over, the second we get the ball we need to be keeping our heads up,” senior defender Carson Duncan said. “And we don’t and it sucks for us because it’s a loss in possession and then we’re coming back again.”
Ayala secured his brace after swinging in a curling shot from 32 yards out over Marauders junior goalkeeper Andrew Kulis eight minutes after his first goal.
Close to halftime, Spitzke slalomed through multiple Bears and played a ball intended for senior forward Dylan Finger, but Bears senior goalkeeper Joshua Castro came out of goal to collect.
At the outset of the second half, Bradshaw Mountain collected its third.
Senior forward Jorge Munoz received a center pass and took advantage of the last Mingus defender’s slip to calmly slot the ball home.
Behlow noted Bradshaw Mountain’s greater amount of “game intensity” as a reason to their success on the ball and in taking it away from his players.
Substitutes from both sides began to enter the game as the half progressed.
With five minutes left, another decent chance for the Marauders came.
A mistake by Castro led to a two-on-one. Freshman forward Angel De La Cruz took a volleyed shot in an attempt to hit the open goal, but the ball sailed well over.
With three games left, Spitzke is optimistic about the team’s remaining games.
“We’re going to go out and we’re going to go play with heart,” Spitzke said. “Win or lose, as long as we’re out there playing and having fun and as a family, I’ll take it.”
Senior night was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, but was cancelled due to weather. A new date has yet to be determined.
The Marauders played at Flagstaff High School on Tuesday, Jan. 24, but results were unavailable at press time. Their next game is the season finale at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at Lee Williams High School.
