COTTAGE GROVE – Two years, two league titles. The Cottage Grove Lions boys soccer team has been dominant under Jaime Urenda.
The Lions kicked off their quest for a three-peat Sept. 16 with a 4-1 victory over the Molalla Indians, and then were largely dominated by the Klamath Union Pelicans on Thursday to the tune of a 4-1 defeat.
This year’s Lions team is mostly a mix of seniors with considerable experience, and young players with little to none. Thursday’s starting lineup was comprised of seven seniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen. Last year’s squad had eight seniors, all of whom were starters, Urenda said.
Urenda said he’s emphasizing a more possession-based, methodical approach this year in contrast to the past couple years.
“We don’t have the speed we did in past years with our forwards, so we have to build up from the back more, meaning we’ve got to be able to pass the ball instead of just booting it or playing long balls,” he explained.
Coach Jaime Urenda said he’s been installing a new, short-passing strategy that players are still learning. ALL PHOTOS BY ADON ECCLES.
It was clear that the players are still adjusting to the new philosophy. In Thursday’s game, Lion defenders seldom did anything but boot the ball deep, giving possession right back to the Pelicans. The Pelicans had 54.6% of the possession, according to Lions JV coach and scorekeeper Kyle Helsel, but it felt like more. The disparity in shots, 20 for the Pelicans to only 7 for the Lions, is a more accurate representation of how the game played out.
The game’s first goal came when Pelicans sophomore midfielder Caleb Morton’s free kick deflected off the wall and came right back at him. Morton’s full-volley shot hit perfectly off the bounce into the upper right corner of the net. A few minutes later, the ball fell to Lions midfielder Emmanuel Rea on the edge of the 18-yard-box, but his shot was straight at the keeper.
The Lions weathered a storm of Pelicans chances and trailed 1-0 at halftime.
Urenda’s halftime message focused on keeping possession and playing the simple pass.
“You guys are seeing the passes, we just have to play more to feet and string passes together,” he said.
The Lions were without captain Elijah Smith in the second half. Smith played a crucial role in the first half, clearing multiple mistakes from his sweeper role. He was also one of the few Lions quick enough to keep up with Pelicans attackers.
Pelicans senior Omar Garcia tucked in a second goal from the left side early in the second half. A relatively young team like the Lions could have easily folded, but they responded quickly.
Rea was able to free himself on the right wing and played a beautiful ball to the far post. Sophomore Jude Chrestman found himself wide open just outside the 6-yard-box, and did well to blast the ball into the top of the net on the volley, making the score 2-1.
Despite the goal, the Pelicans still had most of the dangerous opportunities. The referee awarded a penalty when Garcia was touched by Lions goalkeeper Nery Perez-Ramirez. Garcia smoothly passed the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 3-1. A fourth goal from Glenn Dougherty in the 65th minute put things out of reach.
In the victory on Tuesday, the Lions outshot the Indians 26-3, but had only a 54.7%-45.3% possession advantage. Even in a lopsided win, Urenda said his team did not play in the style that he had tried to implement in practice all summer. “There were a lot of things that we could improve on, and I think the guys know that,” he said.
The Lions cancelled the first three games of the season, meaning that Molalla and Klamath Union were all the preparation Urenda’s squad will get for league play. Marist Catholic travels to Cottage Grove on Wednesday, Sept. 24 for each team’s first league game
