Moses Lake rallies late to knock off Davis

MOSES LAKE — After the Davis Pirates tied Tuesday night’s Columbia Basin Big Nine conference soccer match 2-2, Moses Lake didn’t panic.

The Chiefs capitalized on a stingy defensive effort late and a perfectly placed header from junior Stephen Nganga in stoppage time to knock off the Davis Pirates for the first time in four years.

Moses Lake fell behind midway through the first half when a Davis shot found to back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.

With the Chiefs facing a 1-0 deficit at home, Moses Lake didn’t panic.

Moses Lake rallied in the first half when sophomore Stephen Musa beat the Davis defense down the far sideline and found the back of the net in the 37th minute of the first half.

After the Chiefs tied the game late in the first half, Moses Lake continued to pressure the Davis defense. The Chiefs attacked the goal repeatedly before a Davis penalty inside the box gave Moses Lake a penalty kick opportunity.

With a chance to take their first lead of the contest, Moses Lake didn’t panic.

Moses Lake head coach Bill Bertram put the penalty kick at the feet of junior Devin Petersen. Petersen didn’t buckle under the pressure and he put the ball in the net for a 2-1 Moses Lake lead heading into the half.

After the teams came out following the half, a tenacious and desperate Davis team attacked the Moses Lake goal for much of the second.

Numerous times Davis attempted to put the ball past senior goalie Mitch Harder, but the captain did not panic. Harder stepped up to help his team protect their one-goal advantage throughout most of the second half, Bertram said.

“Mitchell saved our bacon tonight,” Bertram said of his senior keeper.

Harder kept the Chiefs ahead throughout much of Tuesday night’s match.

“When the defense falters, I have to step up,” he said. “I am a senior and a captain. I got lucky on a few.”

Despite playing an excellent game in front of the goal, Davis managed to put a shot past Harder late in the game to tie the match 2-2.

With the clock winding down on the contest, the referee signaled stoppage time and the Chiefs offense went to work.

Following a long pass from deep in their own territory, the Chiefs forced the Pirates to knock the ball out of bounds deep in Davis territory.

With less than a minute remaining on the clock, Bertram sent senior defender Isac Bergeson to the sidelines to throw in the ball. Bergeson took the ball in his hands, sprinted toward the sideline before stopping and hurling the ball toward the Davis net.

After the ball sailed past multiple Pirates defenders and Chiefs attackers, Nganga managed to put his head on the ball. Nganga’s header deflected the ball past the Davis defense before falling to the Lions Field turf in the back of the net for a 3-2 victory.

Moses Lake junior Alex Alcantar said he was happy to knock off Davis.

“We haven’t beat these guys in four years,” he said. “It was great. We stepped it up. We had a good throw and a good header. I loved it.”

Although his team managed to come away with the victory, Bertram said his team struggled at times.

“Sometimes we don’t play pretty,” he said. “But it’s how it ends up. We didn’t give up. We gave it everything.”