Knights top Warden
Isidro Dela Rosa (11) moves up the left side of the field watching to his right for a crossing pass.
ROYAL CITY -- The Royal Knights knocked off Warden, 4-2, last Thursday to finish in third place in the SCAC East and earn a berth in the district tournament.
The Knights will start preparations for a first-round game at Granger or Highland on Saturday. That will be decided tonight when Highland visits Granger. The Scotties are unbeaten in the West, and Granger's lone loss was to Highland.
The Knights had to settle for third in the East after falling to Connell, 2-1, earlier last week. They had a 1-0 half-time lead but couldn't hold it.
Warden was a tougher opponent than it had been the first time around. The Cougars tied the score at 2-2 midway through the second half.
"The match was a great one for a neutral, but the back and forth is tough on my nerves," coach Jens Jensen said.
Things looked pretty good for Royal for the first 46 minutes. Jose Medina started the scoring at 34:43 on an assist from Cesar Bernal. Then, at 41:03, Alex Ramos scored off a feed from Isidro Dela Rosa.
Warden came back in the second half with a penalty kick at 47:11 and team play goal at 58:10.
Then Royal re-ignited. Ramos scored his second goal at 65:05 unassisted. Bernal scored at 75:11 on a double assist by Jose Medina and Danny Cuevas.
"The support from the Royal fans made a huge difference in helping the boys turn the tide back in their favor for the victory," Jensen said.
Royal dominated the action, taking 14 shots on goal to four for Warden. Seven of the shots were by Medina.
Against Connell Royal's defense held in the first half despite a steady wind at the Eagles' backs. But the second half was a different story even though Royal had the wind.
Connell caught the Knights with a quick attack to score six minutes into the second half and tie the score. It scored the winning goal at 66:56.
Royal's goal came at 24:64 in the first half. Medina scored on an assist by Lucio Chavarria.
It was a fairly even contest. Connell had eight shots on goal, and Royal had seven. Both teams had six saves, with Jose Jimenez executing all of Royal's.