Solorio shows fight, but Bloom prevails
Sun Devils tie game in last minute, but Blazing Trojans take PKs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — The nature of the game means the opportunity for redemption is always knocking.
Solorio learned both the good and heartbreaking form of second-chance opportunities.
On the plus side, forward Yamir Gallegos picked the prime moment to make up for his missed penalty kick near the end of regulation.
The Sun Warriors appeared doomed after Bloom keeper Angel Galvan made a great stop in the final two minutes of a 70-minute game.
Gallegos was undeterred.
“I felt like I let my teammates down,” he said.
He delivered with a stunning free kick from the left edge from 24 yards in the closing seconds of regulation.
“I just tried to hit the back post, knowing that my teammates would be pressuring the box,” he said.
“I knew the keeper was going to freeze.”
Galvan could not believe what transpired.
“Walking back, after conceding an easy save, is not a good feeling,” he said.
“I didn’t read the ball in the air, and I anticipated a cross.”
But Galvan came up in the clutch with a brilliant stop during the shootout that enabled Bloom to capture the ninth-place consolation bracket quarterfinal game Saturday in the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis.
The Blazing Trojans were perfect during the shootout for the 5-3 victory.
The tournament has a modified game format with two-35 minute halves.
After Gallegos drilled the stunning late 2-2 equalizer in the 70th minute, the teams played two scoreless five-minute overtime periods.
Galvan and sophomore forward Omari Ortiz shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for the Blazing Trojans (2-1-0).
Ortiz helped Bloom create a 2-0 halftime lead with a goal in the 19th minute.
His blast into the lower left corner sealed the 5-3 shootout score.
Bloom’s perfect first round of penalty kicks created a pressure the Sun Warriors could not match.
Sometimes being the first team up is a significant advantage. It was for Bloom.
That one save by Galvan changed the tide of the shootout, creating a deficit Solorio (2-2-0) could not climb out of.
“It’s just a gut feeling,” Galvan said. “There are days when we practice after our training, and we line up.
“You just go with your gut. Sometimes you don’t save any, and sometimes you save all of them.”
The defeat proved particularly bittersweet for the Sun Warriors, who fought off a somewhat complacent and listless first half.
“We only have four seniors, and a lot of young players, sophomores and juniors, and some of them are a little entitled,” Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said.
“They have to realize because of what our program has done the last 10 years, we have a reputation, and teams come with their best game when they play us.”
Bloom was coming off a tough 2-1 loss against Southland rival Lockport in the second round.
Ortiz said the team was jacked at the start.
“We always start off slowly, so we needed to know after our loss against Lockport that we had to play stronger,” Ortiz said.
Bloom scored twice during a three-minute blitz midway through the first half.
Ortiz got free and connected on a ball over the top and finished inside the near post from about 16 yards.
His counterpart at the top of the attack, forward Jonathan Magana, followed by breaking the Sun Warriors’ back and finishing with a one-touch from about 12 yards.
“We made two mistakes trying to clear the ball, and that cost us in the first half,” Solorio forward Ricardo Mejia said.
After a serious and animated discussion with their coach at halftime, the Sun Warriors looked like a different team in the second half.
Right off the jump, Solorio played with purpose, intensity and showed far greater effort and pride.
“I’d say it is going to take a while for us to grow,” Mejia said. “Last year we had 11 seniors, and they were our foundations.
“As all of us grow up together, we are going to have to build our own group.”
Mejia was the catalyst at the start of the second half.
He demonstrated tremendous quickness and creativity with the ball. He immediately went to work, showing great urgency and power off the left side of the attack.
In the first minute, he maneuvered past two defenders and got to the goal, where Galvan made a great diving stop of his first shot.
The warning shot across the bow underscored the Sun Warriors’ greater sense of purpose and unity.
“It was all about starting the play right there,” Mejia said. “I knew that when they give me those one-on-one opportunities, I am always going to try and put them away.
“Those are my specialty, and I know how to move the defender.”
In the 37th minute, Mejia made his move, getting to the edge and making a beautiful cross that defender Santiago Leyva finished into a virtually open net from five yards for the opening Solorio goal.
The Sun Warriors enjoyed far greater possession time and opportunities the balance of the second half.
If the effort ultimately came up short, the greater story was also very much in view.
The contrast between the two halves suggested players recognizing what they had to do to make themselves more competitive.
“Our young guys are very skilled, but they have to learn how to adjust to the speed and physical style of the varsity game,” Calleros said.
“In high school soccer, the game is about power, size and speed, and that is going to beat skill every time. Our younger guys are going up against veteran players, and they are going to utilize that speed and power.”
Solorio lost the battle. The season is young, and a young team showed positive signs.
“We want to learn and struggle now so that we can grow and play our best soccer at the end of the year,” Calleros said.
Starting lineups
Bloom
GK: Angel Galvan
D: Hector Perez
D: Brain Perez
D: Isaac Cordero
MF: Diego Lopez Flores
MF: Brandon Bravo
MF: Miguel Vilchis
MF: Elder Perez
MF: Angel Sanchez
F: Omar Ortiz
F: Jonathan Magana
Solorio
GK: David Salgado
D: Santiago Leyva
D: Jose Teudocio
D: Ivan Lopez
D: Alfonso Espino
MF: Orlando Ojeda
MF: Christopher Bueno
MF: Junior Pineda
MF: Adrian Munoz
F: Yamir Gallegos
F: Ricardo Mejia
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Angel Galvan, sr., GK, Bloom; Omar Ortiz, so., F, Bloom
Scoring summary
First half
Bloom: Omar Ortiz (Isaac Cordero), 19th minute
Bloom: Jonathan Magana (Elder Perez), 22nd minute
Second half
Solorio: Santiago Leyva (Ricardo Mejia), 37th minute
Solorio: Yamir Gallegos (free kick), 70th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
Bloom: Brainy Perez (good), Miguel Vilchis (good), Isaac Cordero (good), Jonathan Magana (good), Omar Ortiz (good)
Solorio: Yamir Gallegos (good), Justin Saucedo (saved), Ivan Lopez (good), Ricardo Mejia (good)
Sun Devils tie game in last minute, but Blazing Trojans take PKs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — The nature of the game means the opportunity for redemption is always knocking.
Solorio learned both the good and heartbreaking form of second-chance opportunities.
On the plus side, forward Yamir Gallegos picked the prime moment to make up for his missed penalty kick near the end of regulation.
The Sun Warriors appeared doomed after Bloom keeper Angel Galvan made a great stop in the final two minutes of a 70-minute game.
Gallegos was undeterred.
“I felt like I let my teammates down,” he said.
He delivered with a stunning free kick from the left edge from 24 yards in the closing seconds of regulation.
“I just tried to hit the back post, knowing that my teammates would be pressuring the box,” he said.
“I knew the keeper was going to freeze.”
Galvan could not believe what transpired.
“Walking back, after conceding an easy save, is not a good feeling,” he said.
“I didn’t read the ball in the air, and I anticipated a cross.”
But Galvan came up in the clutch with a brilliant stop during the shootout that enabled Bloom to capture the ninth-place consolation bracket quarterfinal game Saturday in the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis.
The Blazing Trojans were perfect during the shootout for the 5-3 victory.
The tournament has a modified game format with two-35 minute halves.
After Gallegos drilled the stunning late 2-2 equalizer in the 70th minute, the teams played two scoreless five-minute overtime periods.
Galvan and sophomore forward Omari Ortiz shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for the Blazing Trojans (2-1-0).
Ortiz helped Bloom create a 2-0 halftime lead with a goal in the 19th minute.
His blast into the lower left corner sealed the 5-3 shootout score.
Bloom’s perfect first round of penalty kicks created a pressure the Sun Warriors could not match.
Sometimes being the first team up is a significant advantage. It was for Bloom.
That one save by Galvan changed the tide of the shootout, creating a deficit Solorio (2-2-0) could not climb out of.
“It’s just a gut feeling,” Galvan said. “There are days when we practice after our training, and we line up.
“You just go with your gut. Sometimes you don’t save any, and sometimes you save all of them.”
The defeat proved particularly bittersweet for the Sun Warriors, who fought off a somewhat complacent and listless first half.
“We only have four seniors, and a lot of young players, sophomores and juniors, and some of them are a little entitled,” Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said.
“They have to realize because of what our program has done the last 10 years, we have a reputation, and teams come with their best game when they play us.”
Bloom was coming off a tough 2-1 loss against Southland rival Lockport in the second round.
Ortiz said the team was jacked at the start.
“We always start off slowly, so we needed to know after our loss against Lockport that we had to play stronger,” Ortiz said.
Bloom scored twice during a three-minute blitz midway through the first half.
Ortiz got free and connected on a ball over the top and finished inside the near post from about 16 yards.
His counterpart at the top of the attack, forward Jonathan Magana, followed by breaking the Sun Warriors’ back and finishing with a one-touch from about 12 yards.
“We made two mistakes trying to clear the ball, and that cost us in the first half,” Solorio forward Ricardo Mejia said.
After a serious and animated discussion with their coach at halftime, the Sun Warriors looked like a different team in the second half.
Right off the jump, Solorio played with purpose, intensity and showed far greater effort and pride.
“I’d say it is going to take a while for us to grow,” Mejia said. “Last year we had 11 seniors, and they were our foundations.
“As all of us grow up together, we are going to have to build our own group.”
Mejia was the catalyst at the start of the second half.
He demonstrated tremendous quickness and creativity with the ball. He immediately went to work, showing great urgency and power off the left side of the attack.
In the first minute, he maneuvered past two defenders and got to the goal, where Galvan made a great diving stop of his first shot.
The warning shot across the bow underscored the Sun Warriors’ greater sense of purpose and unity.
“It was all about starting the play right there,” Mejia said. “I knew that when they give me those one-on-one opportunities, I am always going to try and put them away.
“Those are my specialty, and I know how to move the defender.”
In the 37th minute, Mejia made his move, getting to the edge and making a beautiful cross that defender Santiago Leyva finished into a virtually open net from five yards for the opening Solorio goal.
The Sun Warriors enjoyed far greater possession time and opportunities the balance of the second half.
If the effort ultimately came up short, the greater story was also very much in view.
The contrast between the two halves suggested players recognizing what they had to do to make themselves more competitive.
“Our young guys are very skilled, but they have to learn how to adjust to the speed and physical style of the varsity game,” Calleros said.
“In high school soccer, the game is about power, size and speed, and that is going to beat skill every time. Our younger guys are going up against veteran players, and they are going to utilize that speed and power.”
Solorio lost the battle. The season is young, and a young team showed positive signs.
“We want to learn and struggle now so that we can grow and play our best soccer at the end of the year,” Calleros said.
Starting lineups
Bloom
GK: Angel Galvan
D: Hector Perez
D: Brain Perez
D: Isaac Cordero
MF: Diego Lopez Flores
MF: Brandon Bravo
MF: Miguel Vilchis
MF: Elder Perez
MF: Angel Sanchez
F: Omar Ortiz
F: Jonathan Magana
Solorio
GK: David Salgado
D: Santiago Leyva
D: Jose Teudocio
D: Ivan Lopez
D: Alfonso Espino
MF: Orlando Ojeda
MF: Christopher Bueno
MF: Junior Pineda
MF: Adrian Munoz
F: Yamir Gallegos
F: Ricardo Mejia
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Angel Galvan, sr., GK, Bloom; Omar Ortiz, so., F, Bloom
Scoring summary
First half
Bloom: Omar Ortiz (Isaac Cordero), 19th minute
Bloom: Jonathan Magana (Elder Perez), 22nd minute
Second half
Solorio: Santiago Leyva (Ricardo Mejia), 37th minute
Solorio: Yamir Gallegos (free kick), 70th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
Bloom: Brainy Perez (good), Miguel Vilchis (good), Isaac Cordero (good), Jonathan Magana (good), Omar Ortiz (good)
Solorio: Yamir Gallegos (good), Justin Saucedo (saved), Ivan Lopez (good), Ricardo Mejia (good)