3A SOUTHERN LEAGUE: Bulldogs come from behind to edge Boulder City for boys title

Virgin Valley’s boys soccer team loves to play the game.

And the Bulldogs will get at least one more day of the game they love after capturing the Class 3A Southern League championship in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Boulder City on Saturday at Bettye Wilson Park.

My team loves to play soccer,” Virgin Valley coach Bob Snell said of his Bulldogs. “In their minds, they weren’t thinking this was  a championship; they just thought this was a chance to go to Reno and play soccer.”

Senior midfielder Joel Medina scored the winning goal in the 76th minute, grabbing a pass from teammate Tanner Tichener and sprinting across half the field to beat Eagles goalkeeper Richard Pappas  to the right post and lay it in.

It was a fitting goal by Medina, a four-year varsity player.

“I didn’t want to let my coaches down,” Medina said. “I’ve been playing for my coach (for) four years and he’s never gotten anything out of it. This was for him. I didn’t want to lose; I refuse to lose. And the goal happened.”

Boulder City took the early lead when junior Garrett Andrade punched in a pass from Trevor Montgomery in the fifth minute.

The Eagles doubles their lead when Montgomery went one-on-one with Virgin Valley freshman keeper Nathan Lee in the 24th minute. Montgomery took a shot from inside the penalty box and blasted the ball into the upper-right corner for a 2-0 advantage.

But the turning point came — not from a Bulldog buzzer-beater, but from a 38th minute own-goal by senior Ryan Honey. Virgin Valley took a corner kick and ricocheted it off the back of Honey and past Pappas for the score to cut the lead to 2-1 at halftime.

“The key was that own goal at the end of the first half,” Snell said. “That was huge. Instead of being down 2-0, you’re down 2-1 and we only need one to tie and go into overtime. We kept plugging away.”

Carlos Cano revved the Bulldogs out of the gate in the 42nd minute, burying a cross from Medina under Pappas’ legs for the tying goal. Moments earlier, Cano had tried to ignite a spark under his team and get his 15-1-2 squad to come from behind for only the second game of the season.

“We just didn’t want to give up,” Cano said. “We wanted this so bad. We tried our hardest, gave it our all, so we could go to state.”

The Bulldogs next travel Friday to Reno will they will play Sparks at noon.

GIRLS

White Pine 3, Boulder City 2 (OT) — It only took two minutes for Boulder City senior Melissa Stewart to score in the Class 3A Southern League final against White Pine. But it took three periods for the Bobcats to upset the Eagles, 3-2 on Saturdy at Bettye Wilson Park.

White Pine’s Leeanne Allison scored the winning goal in overtime off an assist by Sierra Harris after 10 minutes of the extra period.

“They played amazing, like true champions today, and it showed out on the field,” Bobcats coach Becki Byers said. “I’m proud of every single one of them and we worked very hard for this. They deserve it.”

Boulder City charged out of the gates and fired two immediate shots on goal at White Pine keeper Kathy Murdock, who made the first save. But as the blocked shot fell at her feet, Stewart scooped up the rebound and nailed the point-blank ball into the back of the net for the opening goal.

The Bobcats finished the first half with only two shots on goal, including a missing a free kick midway through the half.

“We were nervous, and I think it took (Boulder City) scoring one to calm us down and make us realize that we could play together,” Byers said. “But that’s soccer; a little nerves and you can fall apart. But we brought it right back; they knew they had it.”

Midfielder Kelsie Fullmer tied the match in the 56th minute, chipping a ball that floated past the Eagles’ keeper into the net.

That goal sparked a barrage of shots on both ends of the field, with Sophia Valle first nailing home a Tasja Toumasis pass to put the Eagles ahead, 2-1 in the 66th minute.

The Bobcats countered quickly as striker Sierra Harris fought through the entire Boulder City back line before beating the keeper on an 80th-minute blast. That tied the score at 2-2, and set up the extra period that gave Allison and White Pine the match and championship trophy.

White Pine will play Spring Creek on Friday at 2 p.m.