Tigers find their way in victory

EPHRATA — A slow but competitive start was a slight hint to what soccer fans might expect from the Ephrata Tigers.

Despite starting their season at 2-6, the Tigers had battled hard in losses against top teams Moses Lake, Quincy, and Toppenish and in a strong win over a top-flight squad in Othello.

But results are sometimes measured in wins and if yesterday’s 6-3 thrashing of Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC) heavies East Valley is any indication the Tigers are just now finding their way.

Ephrata (4-6, 3-6) were led by the dual hat tricks of Trevor Flint and Ramon Sanchez.

Hear them roar.

“The training we’ve been working on has been mostly about moving the ball on the floor and doing one-two touch passes,” Ephrata coach Keith Laughlin said. “We had a difficult week of training and really worked them hard and they showed they weren’t just fit but they could compete against a quality club and they played well.”

East Valley (7-3, 5-2) fell behind in the 13th minute when a rough challenge in their penalty area led to a foul against them and a spot kick for Ephrata.

Sanchez nailed the penalty kick past the misdirected East Valley goaltender and the Tigers led 1-0.

Then Sanchez would follow up the goal with a score that he probably will never be able to replicate.

After a nice Ephrata combination attack, Sanchez wheeled and flicked the ball from 30 yards out to the right of goal and the ball, with help from a slight breeze and a touch of spin, readjusted itself in flight and beat a completely out-of-position and caught off guard goaltender for a 2-0 Tigers lead in the 18th minute.

“It was a give-and-go combination and he just gave it a whack from 30 yards out,” Laughlin said. “He’ll probably never make that shot again but not for a lack of trying. He believes he can make those shots and does a good job at that.

“I think they really started believing they are good and that they were playing well against a good team,” Laughlin added.  “It was nice because even before Ramon’s shot we had a good link up and the combination play opened up the space to even take that shot.”

East Valley cut the lead to 2-1 in the 30th minute when Ephrata sophomore goaltender Matt Helsley fumbled a runaway ball, leaving the goal mouth unattended and easy pickings.

Flint answered the visitors’ tally with his first strike, but East Valley would get back on the board after Helsley’s soft clearance of a corner kick led to another score and an ending to the sophomore’s rough first half.

“Matt didn’t have as sharp a first half but he played much better in the second half,”  Laughlin said. “He wasn’t his usual self but I really like his distribution to the wings. The thing with Matt is, is he is a young keeper, but he has a short memory and was able to pick himself up.”

Helsley kept East Valley at bay while Flint scored two more times out of the intermission to build a 5-2 lead for Ephrata.

After their lead was cut to 5-3, Sanchez wrapped up the scoring with his third strike of the match and the win was cemented in the 79th minute.

The team’s hard work all week paid dividends for the scoring duo.

“What created so much for them was our midfield,” Laughlin said. “They served the ball well and got the defense out of shape. The guys have been working hard on one-two touches passes. The guys really came to task today. They have the work ethic and the skills.”

Now they need to continue to move forward and carry the momentum of their new two-match winning streak.

“If we continue to build off of this and have no setbacks mentally we will be there physically,” Laughlin said. “If we do what we need to do we will do well. East Valley has always been a quality program and our guys did a good job against them. This win says that this league is so tight from top to bottom and anyone can beat anyone at any given day.”

Connell 3, Warden 2 (SO)

CONNELL — Warden dropped their second match in extra time this season when they fell at Connell 4-3 on penalty kicks last night.

The match was tied at 0-0 at halftime but Warden (4-4, 1-2) scored first on a Carlos Gomez tally in the 50th minute.

Connell tied 10 minutes later but Warden would take their second lead in the 68th minute when Antonio Figueroa latched on to a long pass from Fernando Landeros to push it past the goalie and a 2-1 advantage.

But the hosts tied the game five minutes before the final whistle to send the match into a five-minute overtime and after neither team scored, the win would be decided in the shootout.

Connell outshot Warden 12-8.