Goalie change boosts Vegas

The change seemed subtle at the time.

At halftime of his team’s Sunrise Region boys soccer quarterfinal match, Las Vegas High coach Vince Hart switched goalkeepers, lifting senior Aaron Lopez in favor of junior Roger Zaragoza.

One gray jersey in, one gray jersey out.

Since that change, though, the Wildcats have caught fire. And it just might be the reason why Las Vegas will have a chance to retain its Class 4A title this weekend.

Las Vegas (15-4) will meet Douglas in a semifinal match at 4 p.m. Friday at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno. Bishop Gorman (20-0-1) battles Bishop Manogue in the other semifinal Friday at 6 p.m. The winners return to play for the title at noon Saturday.

When Zaragoza went into the Silverado match on Nov. 3, the score was tied at 2. In two-plus matches since that change, Las Vegas has outscored its opposition 9-1.

“I just go in and do what I know how to do,” Zaragoza said. “I just play my game and try to do my job.”

And maybe provide a spark.

Since the opening half of that Silverado match, Las Vegas has been a more aggressive, more confident team.

“I always feel like I want to give seniors the opportunity to play in big games in their last season,” Hart said. “Aaron has done well for us, but he hasn’t been as consistent.”

Lopez has battled through what Hart called “personal problems” this year. Lopez’s father, who came to all of his son’s practices and games, died last spring.

Yet the senior keeper, who was in goal when Las Vegas won the state title last year, remains a major reason why his team is still playing. Las Vegas has allowed only 21 goals this season.

Consistency, though, hasn’t been the Wildcats’ best friend. In a Northeast League race that saw lead changes take place nearly every day, the Wildcats battled through to win the league title on the final day. But they lost matches to two nonplayoff teams.

“We’ve looked up and down this year,” Zaragoza said. “There were times we might have looked like we might not get it. Now, we feel like we can take it all.”

If the past 200 minutes are any indication, Zaragoza might be right.

It also doesn’t hurt that Las Vegas has one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the state on its side.

Senior striker Joaquin Rivas scored six goals and had three assists in the three tournament matches.