First-place Atwater, Pitman tie in CCC boys soccer matchup

Each coach had a different take following their 1-1 tie between Atwater and Pitman high schools at a Central California Conference boys soccer game Thursday.

Falcons coach Jimmy Brewer told his team that the tie was a positive result and his team should be pleased with its performance.

“They’re a really good team and there was some good soccer in the second half,” said Brewer, whose team is second behind Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) in MaxPreps’ Sac-Joaquin Section power rankings. “Both teams got after it in the second half; we stretched the field and put pressure on them defensively.”

As for Pride coach Oscar Mercado?

“I was unhappy with the outcome,” said Mercado, whose team had three solid opportunities in the final 10 minutes to hand Atwater its first loss of the season. “It was a great game but I thought we could’ve won it. So I’m not happy with a tie.”

Funny how a team’s place in the standings can affect the point of view.

Atwater sits atop the CCC table with a 5-0-2 record (15-0-3 overall) and was happy to get a point Thursday. Pitman occupies third place with a 3-2-1 league record (9-4-3overall) and desperately wanted the three-point reward that comes with a victory.

Falcons junior goalie Andrew Ulloa was a big reason Pitman was unable to make up any ground on the defending league champs.

Ulloa, who was a backup to CCC Goalie of the Year Mario Chavez in 2014, made a handful of acrobatic saves in the final stages to keep the game tied. Once, when he ventured to his right to make a save near the post, Pitman’s Brandon Pineda headed the rebound back to the center of the cage for what looked like a certain goal. But Atwater’s Ivan Rios stepped up and headed the ball away before it could cross the goal line.

“My defense made some awesome saves today, so I can’t take all the credit,” said Ulloa. “We worked as a family back there today.”

After a scoreless first half, Atwater struck first in the 43rd minute.

Atwater’s corner kick was played too deep and it was headed back into play by defender Jonathan Escobedo. Midfielder Christian Olguin chipped it toward the back post and forward Luis Lopez finished the job, burying the ball in the back of the net from close range.

The lead didn’t last long, however.

Just over five minutes later, sophomore Ricardo Casillas took a pass from Jonathan Galdamezand dribbled inside the penalty area. When Ulloa challenged and tried to win the ball with a sliding tackle attempt, Casillas calmly slid a shot under the keeper’s left arm from the far edge of the goal area.

Escobedo, trailing on the play, just missed saving this one.

“Jonathan delayed the play and gave Ricardo a chance to get some space,” said Mercado, whose team fell to Atwater 3-2 at Falcon Field on Sept. 17 . “He played beyond his years on that finish. He was a lot calmer than most sophomores would be in a game of this magnitude.”

The Falcons also missed some prime scoring opportunities. Atwater hit the post once and just missed wide on a couple of others. Perhaps their best shot at a second goal (which would’ve been their first) came late in the first half. The Falcons caught Pride goalie Jesus Nunez off his line and Eduardo Cebrero nicely centered a ball for Gerardo Delgadillo, who fired a shot from 7 yards out. Defender David Amaya raced to the rescue and stopped the ball, allowing Anthony Zuno to sweep it away and allow Nunez to scramble back.

“Atwater’s a good team, we’re a good team,” Mercado said. “The pace of the game was great, good for both teams. Hopefully, it’s preparation for the playoffs.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 8:03 AM with the headline "First-place Atwater, Pitman tie in CCC boys soccer matchup."