Fernley boys soccer remains unbeaten in league play
Jim Vallett, for the Fernley Reporter
Under bright sunshine and blue skies, the Fernley High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team defeated Whittell by the mercy rule score of 8-0 on Friday, Oct. 11 at Fernley High School.
Coach Jose Garcia’s orange-jersied charges came out firing on all cylinders and, after several scoring chances did not connect, found the back of the net in the 11th minute when Jack Lukenhouse converted on a beautiful Sergio Alvarez pass to give the Vaqueros a 1-0 lead.
Alvarez and Angel Martinez set up several scoring chances for teammates only to see shots go off goalposts, curve wide, or be stopped by the Whittell goalkeeper until Isaac O’Neill blasted a shot from 30 yards out that the besieged Warrior goalkeeper had no chance to stop. O’Neill’s goal came in the 24th minute of play and seemed to end Fernley’s bad scoring luck as the goals came much faster after that.
The Vaqueros made the score 3-0 in the 32nd minute when O’Neill converted a penalty kick after a hustling teammate was fouled in the penalty area, 4-0 when Alavarez broke free and scored on a breakaway with 2:00 remaining in the first half, 5-0 just 20 seconds later when Martinez converted a nice pass from Alvarez, and ended the first half by scoring again just 40 seconds later when Jacob McCreary tallied after a perfect pass from Martinez.
The second half didn’t last very long. Alvarez eluded several Whittell defenders and recorded his second goal of the game on a breakaway to make the score 7-0 in the 52nd minute, and O’Neill ended the Vaquero scoring, and the game, when he drilled a shot that the Warrior goaltender could not stop from 30 yards out to make the final score 8-0, Vaqueros.
Saturday, the Vaqueros beat Dayton, 2-0.
Fernley tallied once in the first half and once in the second, with goals by McCreary, on an assist by Martinez, and by Martinez on a pass from Alvarez.
The Vaqueros remain atop the Northern 3A League B standings with a 9-0 record, while Yerington is their closest challenger at 7-2.
The Fernley boys travel to Yerington to face the Lions on Thursday, Oct. 17. Game time is 2 p.m.