Nyssa’s Lynzie Torres (No. 20) moves in on the ball during a game against Umatilla Saturday in Nyssa. Both the Bulldog boys and girls soccer teams ended their regular season during weekend play. (The Enterprise/Joe Siess)
NYSSA – The Nyssa Bulldogs finished their prep soccer season last Saturday, playing back-to-back home games against one of their main rivals, Umatilla.
The Bulldogs faced tough competition, the girls losing 4-1 and the boys, 10-0.
Boys soccer coach Steven Escobedo said as always, he hoped to make the state tournament.
“It was a long season and towards the end I was getting a little thin on numbers,” Escobedo said.
Escobedo said in their last game, the Bulldogs were down to 11 players, four short.
“We still went into the game wanting to play like we had nothing to lose, and let it all happen on the field without any excuses,” Escobedo said.
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As was typical throughout the season, the Bulldogs were cheered on by their many friends and family from the sidelines Saturday.
The coach said his Bulldogs will be looking for a comeback next season.
“They felt like there was a lot of positives,” Escobedo said of the boys. “They had a great year of team building, and there was a lot of ups and downs. We had some good moments as well as some we wish were better.”
He said next season will see a lot of young talent coming as eighth-graders move up and seniors graduate and move on.
Escobedo expects the team to engage in some team-building exercises in the offseason, so they’ll be ready to work on their game plan and skills when the next season kicks off.
Juniors Javier Castro, Miguel Ramirez, and sophomore Carlos Castro will return to the field next season and Escobedo expects them to be the team’s strongest players.
Escobedo said Jerardo Trinidad Martinez, headed for graduation, played a solid goalie this season.
It’s unclear who will step up as goalie next year.
“The Nyssa Bulldogs will do everything we can to be competitive. Regardless of who we play, they will be in for a fight with us,” Escobedo said. “We expect to be competitive.”
News tip? Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 541-473-3377.
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