The Vikings came into Monday night’s play-in game against Crockett riding high on confidence after winning two games in a row to leap frog Travis in the standings. A win over Crockett would send Lanier back to the State playoffs for the first time since 2010.
An interesting tactical battle unfolded early as Lanier looked to create chances on the break and Crockett did well keeping possession. Five minutes in a Cougar striker found space to hit a shot that struck defender Augustine Ugarte in the chest, the freshman wisely placed both hands behind his back when stepping in for the block. The referee seemed to be influenced by the appeals of Crockett players as his view from behind the play was obscured but he chose to give a penalty anyway. Ugarte’s reaction seemed to suggest he knew an injustice had occurred and he received the game’s first booking for his protest. A well-taken penalty gave keeper Christian Curiel no chance to make a save, 1-0 Crockett.
Lanier battled for the remainder of the half. Refereeing decisions continued to baffle as yellow cards were issued to Edy Ramirez, Ervin Orantes, and Henrry Orantes all received yellow cards for their first fouls of the match. This made it difficult for Lanier to find it’s way in the game, and a second Crockett goal was scored controversially as a clear foul in the buildup was ignored with the referee waving play on.
Things only got more difficult from here as Ugarte was bizarrely given a 2nd yellow card for allegedly arguing with an opposing player. Replays confirmed that an argument did occur between Erick Villalba and an opponent, but the officials seemed to mistakenly issue a second yellow card to the Crockett player and Ugarte instead. The Vikings were now two goals down and one player short, but this sort of adversity has become the norm this season and a positive response was immediate.
First Villalba was clipped at the edge of the area as he pushed the ball forward for a shot. The referee chose not to award a penalty or a yellow card, but Pablo Brito’s ensuing free kick nearly pulled one back. His left footed effort was curled beautifully over the wall, rattling the far post on the way down. Minutes later with the first half winding down, the Vikings were again aggrieved as Villalba was cut down well inside the box this time and the referee, in excellent position to see the offense, waved play on to the chagrin of the Lanier team.
Lanier began the second half with positive intent lining up in an aggressive 3-4-2 formation. The team was prepared to take chances at the back in order to get back into the game. Crockett seemed to struggle with this approach as they sat back and looked to play on the break. An excellent chances fell to Rolando Leyva in the box whose shot was pulled inches wide of the post. Later on Daniel Woldegebreal stretched to get on the end of a dangerous Joe Martinez cross, but again the Vikings could not connect.
While this ultimately not to be the Vikings day, the performance in defeat was simply heroic. Playing a man down, Senior Erick Villalba was forced to come deep to pick up the ball, and his incredible dribbling gave the Crockett defense fits. Three, four, and five players were required to keep him from finding space for a shot. The high pressing with ten players left Lanier exposed at the back, but huge plays were made by Ervin Orantes, Edy Ramirez, and keeper Alejandro Rojas to prevent a third Crockett goal.
The Vikings were unable to achieve the result needed to advance to the State playoffs, but their perseverance in response to adversity on this night and all season was inspirational. This team played every minute of the season with maximum effort, and their performances have enhanced the reputation of Lanier Soccer. The program will graduate seven proud seniors this year whose legacy will be remembered for leading the campaign that transformed a divided, winless team to a united squad that came within a single game of the playoffs.
An interesting tactical battle unfolded early as Lanier looked to create chances on the break and Crockett did well keeping possession. Five minutes in a Cougar striker found space to hit a shot that struck defender Augustine Ugarte in the chest, the freshman wisely placed both hands behind his back when stepping in for the block. The referee seemed to be influenced by the appeals of Crockett players as his view from behind the play was obscured but he chose to give a penalty anyway. Ugarte’s reaction seemed to suggest he knew an injustice had occurred and he received the game’s first booking for his protest. A well-taken penalty gave keeper Christian Curiel no chance to make a save, 1-0 Crockett.
Lanier battled for the remainder of the half. Refereeing decisions continued to baffle as yellow cards were issued to Edy Ramirez, Ervin Orantes, and Henrry Orantes all received yellow cards for their first fouls of the match. This made it difficult for Lanier to find it’s way in the game, and a second Crockett goal was scored controversially as a clear foul in the buildup was ignored with the referee waving play on.
Things only got more difficult from here as Ugarte was bizarrely given a 2nd yellow card for allegedly arguing with an opposing player. Replays confirmed that an argument did occur between Erick Villalba and an opponent, but the officials seemed to mistakenly issue a second yellow card to the Crockett player and Ugarte instead. The Vikings were now two goals down and one player short, but this sort of adversity has become the norm this season and a positive response was immediate.
First Villalba was clipped at the edge of the area as he pushed the ball forward for a shot. The referee chose not to award a penalty or a yellow card, but Pablo Brito’s ensuing free kick nearly pulled one back. His left footed effort was curled beautifully over the wall, rattling the far post on the way down. Minutes later with the first half winding down, the Vikings were again aggrieved as Villalba was cut down well inside the box this time and the referee, in excellent position to see the offense, waved play on to the chagrin of the Lanier team.
Lanier began the second half with positive intent lining up in an aggressive 3-4-2 formation. The team was prepared to take chances at the back in order to get back into the game. Crockett seemed to struggle with this approach as they sat back and looked to play on the break. An excellent chances fell to Rolando Leyva in the box whose shot was pulled inches wide of the post. Later on Daniel Woldegebreal stretched to get on the end of a dangerous Joe Martinez cross, but again the Vikings could not connect.
While this ultimately not to be the Vikings day, the performance in defeat was simply heroic. Playing a man down, Senior Erick Villalba was forced to come deep to pick up the ball, and his incredible dribbling gave the Crockett defense fits. Three, four, and five players were required to keep him from finding space for a shot. The high pressing with ten players left Lanier exposed at the back, but huge plays were made by Ervin Orantes, Edy Ramirez, and keeper Alejandro Rojas to prevent a third Crockett goal.
The Vikings were unable to achieve the result needed to advance to the State playoffs, but their perseverance in response to adversity on this night and all season was inspirational. This team played every minute of the season with maximum effort, and their performances have enhanced the reputation of Lanier Soccer. The program will graduate seven proud seniors this year whose legacy will be remembered for leading the campaign that transformed a divided, winless team to a united squad that came within a single game of the playoffs.