Knights advance to districts quarterfinals

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (12-2-1) earned a swift win over the Oroville Hornets 6-0 Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 1A district tournament. Though the win is great, Head Coach Jens Jensen felt the team could have been sharper.  

“Obviously we win, and that's great,” Jensen said. “Honestly, we didn't look like ourselves for large stretches. You have to maintain your level (of play). When you have a team that's just going to pack 10 guys in front of the ball, right down the center, and swarm the ball, then you have to move the ball quickly, and we've got to use the width (of the field) and try to spread them out... and it took us a little while to get that sorted out.”  

The Knights were on the attack early against the Hornets in the first half. Their first goal came with about 16 minutes left in the first. From there, they tacked on two more goals to take a 3-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Royal continued to push the pace and attack the goal. With about 27 minutes to go, they scored their fourth goal of the day. From there, they added two more to earn a statement 6-0 win at home.   

“They got some fire and brimstone at halftime; told (them) they needed to get after it, and I feel like, second half, they came out and played much better,” Jensen said.  

In the first half, the Knights were trying to use the width of the field to create shot opportunities by setting up Scout Stevenson in the corner to pop the ball over the middle. Jensen said the Hornets were packing a lot of defenders in the middle of the field and pushing the ball to one side of the field helps draw them out more.  

While the set up may have gone well, the execution did not always work out, which left some missed opportunities on the pitch, Jensen said.  

“You got to pull them out and try to attack that end line, and that's really what we're trying to accomplish. I just wanted to see more of that. The frustration was when we had those opportunities and we didn't take it, because we're dwelling on the ball too long and just kind of trying to create chances for ourselves, as opposed to moving the ball to just catch the right player,” he said.  

Accounting for the Knights three goals in the first half was Ernesto Deras and Cristian Nieto, who scored two.  

After some halftime adjustments, the Knights came out sharper and proceeded to run up the score. Anderson Brown, Carlos Barajas and Jeonatan Dircio were able to put the ball in the back of the net.  

With the win, the Knights advance to the quarterfinals of the 1A District 5 tournament, where they will host Okanogan at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. with a chance to move to the semifinals. Jensen said he feels confident in his team’s chances, given their home field advantage.  

“Okanagan has to come all the way from Okanagan and that's not an easy drive. It's going to be hot for them, and then they're going to come here and play on this surface, which there ain't nobody in the north that plays on this surface. That's a good thing for us. It's a great opportunity for us to get a win for sure,” Jensen said.  

BOX SCORE:  

ORVL: 0-0: 0 

ROYL: 3-3: 6

    Cristian Nieto (12) takes a shot on goal against Oroville Tuesday. Nieto scored two goals for the Knights.
  

    The Knights’ Scout Stevenson (4) looks for an open teammate over the middle.
  

    Adrian Padilla of the Royal Knights cuts back to his left as an Oroville defender crashes in.
  

    Bade Jensen (20) pushes the ball up the field against Oroville on Tuesday.
  

    The Royal Knights’ Shea Stevenson (23) elbows for control of the ball with an Oroville defender before taking a shot on goal.