Royal destroys Kiona-Benton in soccer action
Royal Knights Soccer
ROYAL CITY - Kiona-Benton was an unlucky rebound opponent last week as Royal won, 9-0, to advance to 3-1 in high school soccer and 2-1 in the SCAC East.
The thumping came on the heels of Royal's first SCAC East loss to Connell the previous week. The Knights needed to rebound to stay near the top.
The Royal boys knew they were in for a bright afternoon 34 seconds into the Tuesday game. Jose Medina converted a Cesar Bernal assist into a goal.
Four minutes and four seconds later, the rout was on as Bernal fed Valente Cortez for the second goal. At 7:04 the score was 3-0 after a goal by Jose Ponce off of an assist by Israel Cortez.
Less than a minute later, the score mounted to 4-0 on a second Medina goal. Ponce made it 5-0 at the 17:02 mark, and Xavier Machado, assisted by Julio Valencia, scored in the 37th minute for a 6-0 half-time lead.
The second half saw two goals by Marco Soto and one by Ponce and assists by Ponce, Cortez and Danny Cuevas.
Royal took 20 shots, 11 of which were on goal. Ponce took four shots on goal and converted three. Ki-Be recorded only two saves.
The Knights were just as tough on defense. They allowed four shots but only one on goal. It was saved by Alex Contreras.
Royal City was the better team in a Thursday non-league matchup with Cascade, but it took the Knights more than half of the game to solve the Kodiak defense.
The Knights scored two goals in the second half to post a 2-0 shutout. The victory improved Royal's overall record to 3-1.
The Kodiaks bunched their defenders around the goal when Royal was on the attack. That clogged the passing lanes.
"They did a good job of making us shoot from outside the area as we tried to unlock them," Coach Jens Jensen said.
The Knights finally unlocked the Kodiak defense 1:19 into the second half. Jose Bernal scored an unassisted goal.
In the 57th minute, Jose Medina converted a feed from Bernal for the second goal.
The Knights were never under threat of losing. Their defense allowed only two shots, and neither was on goal. Keeper Jose Jimenez did not record a save.
Meanwhile, Royal's attack pressured the Kodiaks all game long. Medina took six of the Knights' 18 shots. Ponce and Michael Rojas took four each.
"This match was another clear message that teams are going to play us for 0-0, with the hope of sneaking a goal on a counter or set piece." Jensen said. "Our season is going to depend on our success at learning to break them down."
Starting forward Cesar Bernal did not play against Cascade. He was nursing a strained hamstring.
Royal will play at Granger on Tuesday, April 7, at 4 p.m. The Knights will host Mabton at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 9.
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