Second half barrage leads Moses Lake past Ferris
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake forward Anthony Cortez dribbles past two Ferris defenders.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Daniel Sinchuk dribbles the ball up the field Saturday at Lions Field.
Moses Lake's Tyrell Garza rears back for a pass.
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Raymundo Curiel just misses a pass against Ferris.
MOSES LAKE — It had been nearly two hours of game time before Moses Lake got its first goal of the season. So a hearty celebration was a must.
After Anthony Cortez cleaned up a run by Josh Henriquez that left an open net, the junior forward — aided by a teammate — wowed the crowd with a back flip.
But that was only the beginning.
Moses Lake scored four goals in the second half and beat Ferris of the Greater Spokane League 5-3 in its home opener. The Chiefs tied Gonzaga Prep 0-0 on Friday in Spokane.
“In the first half we were attacking more down the left and we kind of got stuck on the left and we really talked about switching the point of attack — so using both sides of the field and not being predictable,” head coach Rian Allred said. “Our entire team did a better job of getting the ball for foot faster and also making runs... Faster runs, quicker runs into space and instead of holding the ball up so we’re trying to get one-two touch passing consistently across the board.
“That’s what really opened it up was our runs off the ball and then also the guys releasing the balls quicker.”
The Chiefs controlled possession throughout the first half, collecting corner and free kick opportunities that were just off the mark. Cortez’s goal in the 36th minute put the Chiefs ahead 1-0 at halftime.
Ferris evened the game early in the second half when Brett Freshler chipped the ball over Moses Lake goalie Eddie Reyes’ head to an open Max Thompson for an easy header.
However, the drama was short-lived as Moses Lake scored four goals in less than 20 minutes to open up a 5-1 lead.
Daniel Sinchuk, a senior captain back from injury, scored twice in the second half.
“Here in this stadium it’s a lot better than going away because our fans are just awesome,” he said. “Real great support.”
Erik Vega and Tyrell Garza also added a goal apiece.
The Chiefs will try and finish their non-league games without a loss Tuesday at Lewis and Clark.
“The GSL is a strong league, not just here on the eastern side of the state, but in the state of Washington,” Allred said.