For a second successive season Camp Verde High School’s boys soccer team reached the final of the Chino Cup, but fell to host Chino Valley High School 2-1.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, the Cowboys [4-2, 0-1 2A Central Region] faced off with the Cougars in Chino Valley, and again lost. This time it was a 2A Central Region matchup, and they have lost each of the last six matchups.
“We love playing those guys, you’ve got to play the best to be the best and we’re right there,” Cowboys head coach David Miller said. “We’ve had the lead and lost it and we’ve come from behind to tie it up but we can’t seem to get over the hump.”
In the Chino Cup final, Camp Verde led 1-0 at halftime through junior defender Brandon Cruz’s goal. A pair of second-half goals gave the Cougars, also the four-time defending Conference 2A state champions, the win.
On Sept. 7, all of the goals were scored in the first half. Chino Valley opened the scoring minutes in before Cowboys senior midfielder Nate Schultz leveled things, with Cruz giving the assist.
But less than a minute after the Cowboys tied the game, the Cougars took the lead right back.
Miller said that the team dominated the ball for the last 25 minutes of the game but could not solve Chino Valley junior goalkeeper Abraham Gamez.
While the Cowboys have not gotten a win over the Cougars, they know that they are capable of it.
“It gives us a target to shoot from as a team. When we’re at practice they’re definitely a focus for us. We feel if we can compete against them, we can compete against anybody,” Miller said.
The team is still a young, developing one.
Schultz has switched back and forth between playing sweeper and center midfield, depending on the game and situation.
Sophomore stopper Beto Torres is the newcomer to the defense, but Miller said he is a physical presence that has begun to grow into the position and will only develop more confidence and chemistry with the rest of the team.
What Miller likes about this year’s team in particular is how it gets along. The players communicate well, too.
“We feel that we’re a team on the rise. We definitely haven’t hit our peak yet,” Miller said. “We think that as we get better we’ll be able to match up.”
With multiple games per week, the focus will shift to developing the players at their respective positions, tactics and ball skills.
So far this season the Cowboys have outscored their opponents 29-5. Junior Joseph Jones leads the way with eight, with Cruz and Schultz tied for second with four.
They had maintained a stretch of three consecutive shutouts during the first three rounds of the tournament before the two losses to Chino Valley.
Lopsided wins in the first three rounds came against Grand Canyon High School [8-0], The Gregory School [7-0] and small-schools division newcomer Page High School [5-0]. In the season opener they beat Payson High School 8-1, who was also their opponent on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Results were unavailable at press time.
The Cowboys next play at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at Page. Their next matchup with Cougars comes on senior day at 6 p.m. Oct. 19.
