DECATUR -- Resembling two armies battling over a piece of land rather than a soccer match, the Gentry Pioneers came to Bulldog Stadium in Decatur April 12 to duke it out with the Decatur Bulldogs. The prize, a conference victory in the 4A 1Northwest, and bragging rights. In the end, the battle was decided in a kickoff that ended with Decatur being declared the victor.
When both lined up on the field for the opening kick of the contest, the atmosphere surrounding Bulldog Stadium came alive.
Gentry went on the offensive early, attacking the Decatur goal repeatedly during the first 20 minutes of the first half.
Late in the half, William Burrios picked up a pass near mid-field and put it past Remon Arguijo, the Gentry goalkeeper, for Decatur's first point of the match.
The match got heated toward the end of the first half when the Gentry goalkeeper was red carded for an intentional hit on a Decatur player driving the ball toward the center of the net. From that point, the game took on a more aggressive nature as both teams battled it out for a goal.
The first half ended with the Bulldogs up 1-0.
Gentry was able to score in the second half on a goal by Kevin Ochoa to tie the match at one each when the horn sounded, ending regulation and sending the game into a kickoff.
The Bulldogs prevailed, taking a 4-3 victory over the Pioneers on PK Goals by Alexis Gramajo, Roger Hernandes and Jimmy Mendoza.
Decatur: Moreno, Barrios, Rich, Perez, Hurtado, J. Rubi, Gomez, Mendoza played 80 minutes, R. Rubi played 64 minutes, Thao played 45 minutes, Hernandez played 30 minutes, Gramajo played 16 minutes, total 795 minutes.
Goaltending:
Decatur: Sebastian Perez-6 Opp SOG, 1-GA, 5-Saves, 2 PK Saves, 5-PKA, 1-Win.
Gentry: Ramon Arguijo-7 Saves, 1-Loss.
Sports on 04/18/2018