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closeJaguars avenge early season defeat
Emerald Ridge soccer squad wins crucial SPSL contest
Shaun Scott
Emerald Ridge junior defender Doug Rochester made a beeline for one of his newest teammates after the game winning goal hit the back of the net.
Freshman Corey McLellan hesitantly jumped into Rochester’s arms setting off a celebration of epic proportions. McLellan’s unassisted goal with six minutes remaining in regulation, clinched Emerald Ridge Jaguars’ (5-2-1 overall) 1-0 victory against the Rogers Rams (4-3 overall) on April 11 at Sparks Stadium.
Emerald Ridge coach David Rosdahl, who raised his fist into the air before sporting a No. 1 sign as the final seconds trickled off the clock, was glad to see McLellan come up big in one of the most crucial games of the season.
“This is only Corey’s second varsity game. I just brought him up from the jayvee team not too long ago,” Rosdahl said. “What a wonderful moment it is for him.”
McLellan was just happy to be a contributor to his team. The last time these teams faced off, Rogers registered a convincing 4-0 victory
“I wasn’t here the last time and I’m just glad I could do what I could to help this team win,” McLellan said. “Seeing that goal go in was just crazy. I’m just a freshman. It’s an awesome feeling.”
The Jaguars currently are in third place in the SPSL South Division. The top four teams from the division advance to the playoffs in May. Rogers currently is on the outside looking in, holding down the fifth place spot in the division.
“We needed this win. I told the guys in the locker room before the game that if we win this one it will propel us into the rest of the season on the right note,” Rosdahl said. “This is going to help us a lot in the standings and for our confidence too.”
In a game where both teams didn’t find the back of the net for the majority of the contest, there sure were a lot of close calls, Rosdahl said.
“It was back and forth the whole time,” Rosdahl said. “Both teams had opportunities to score all night long. It was a physical game.”
With 13 minutes left in the contest, Emerald Ridge junior Justin Pense and Rogers’ Sean Tollan were ejected from the game, and both received red cards for a brief scuffle near the Rogers’ 18-yard line.
For the last 13 minutes of the game, both teams had to go 10-on-10 due to the ejections.
It was a bitter loss for the Rams, considering it was their third consecutive defeat.
“Losing three games in row is tough,” Rams coach JR Farias said. “We did a good job with ball control the entire game but we couldn’t find the back of the net and they did. They were able to score at the end of the game and that was the difference.”
Farias said the intensity decibel is always turned up a notch during games between neighboring schools.
“Soccer is a physical game and even becomes more so when you’re going against a district rival,” Farias said.
Farias said his team is eagerly anticipating its impending matchup against fourth place Beamer on April 15. As of press time, results of this contest were unavailable.
“Next week is big for us,” Farias said. “They’re in fourth right now and we’re in fifth. It’s the kind of game that can get us closer to the playoffs. These next few weeks are going to be big for our program.”