Honkers subdue tenacious Bears

A strong start wasn't enough for the Pierce High boys soccer team to hold off visiting Willows on Tuesday.

Adolfo Ramirez put the ball in the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 Bears' lead on a quick strike after the Honkers controlled possession of the ball early in the game.

The Honkers' ball control paid off in the 17th minute when David Gonzalez scored on a header to tie the game.

"We had that one mistake in that first half where we allowed that first goal early down 1-0. But I think the guys held up pretty good. They kept it under control and were able to get some of those goals back," said Willows coach Jose Cano.

Willows senior captain Alexis Montoya set up the Honkers' offense while using his experience and ball handling skills to keep the Honkers on the offensive for the majority of the first half.

Pierce goalie Jorge Rosas stopped 10 first half shots to keep the score tied 1-1 heading into halftime.

"I think we pretty much dominated the whole game. We had a lot of opportunities there in the first half to score goals, and, unfortunately, we were unable to capitalize," Cano said.

Salvador Gonzalez gave the Honkers the lead four minutes into the second half, sending the ball across the goal to the far corner of the net.

The Bears mustered two forays deep into Willows territory, but came up empty both times.

Midway through the second half, Salvador Gonzalez wove his way between two defenders and drilled a right-footer past a diving Rosas into the corner of the goal for the 3-1 lead.

Willows (5-0, 2-0 Sacramento Valley League) will rely on its senior experience this year to help guide a strong group of underclassmen, Cano said.

Montoya, Salvador Gonzalez, Nick Ruiz and goalie Jose Barajas are the team's leaders, and each demonstrated why against Pierce.

Montoya notched an assist, Gonzalez scored two goals, Ruiz had an assist and put pressure on goal with two shots and Barajas made seven saves.

Pierce (1-2, 0-2 SVL) is a young team, and it showed at times, but is improving quickly, coach Michael Richins said.

"We're behind a little bit because of the newness of the players but they're coming along really well and they've made some fair improvements," the coach said.

The Bears are working on improving their passing and keeping track of their men on defense, Richins said.

Pierce played Durham High on Thursday and hosts Colusa on Tuesday.

Willows beat Esparto High 5-0 on Thursday. Salvador Gonzalez scored three goals; David Gonzalez and Giovani Gutierrez chipped in a goal each. Montoya contributed the assists on three goals.

The Honkers played Wheatland High on Friday and travel to Hamilton High on Wednesday.

CONTACT Kirk Barron at 458-2121 or kbarron@tcnpress.com.