Fallon goalkeeper Brandon Holler, right, plucks the ball off Spring Creek's Star 'Ita's head during the Wave's 2-0 win on Friday.
Two matches, four points and a tie for fourth place.
That is the result of the Fallon boys soccer teams’ 2-0 win over Spring Creek and scoreless tie against Elko last weekend.
Fallon’s biggest match of the season, though, was played Tuesday against Lowry, who is tied with Fallon. The Greenwave’s win over Spring Creek dampened the Spartans’ playoff chances, while Fallon must net at least two wins in the final four matches to qualify.
“I feel like we outplayed them (Elko),” Fallon coach Nate Waite said. “In the end, four points out of these two games, back-to-back is tough because they are two quality teams.”
On Saturday, a bizarre turn occurred when an Elko fan walked onto the pitch objecting to a foul call after Fallon’s Fidel Enriquez was taken down in the goal box and awarded a penalty kick in the second half. The man was escorted out of the complex but did not leave for at least 15 minutes.
Enriquez’s shot, though, was blocked by the Elko goalkeeper shutting down the Wave’s best chance to break the scoreless tie. Enriquez had Fallon’s two goals in a 2-0 win over Spring Creek on Friday.
Oddly enough, the play on the field was tame considering two bitter rivals had much at stake. A typical Fallon-Elko match is filled with physical play, hard challenges and plenty of words between players.
“I can’t fault any of the guys for their effort,” Waite said.
Despite the dramatic scene on Saturday, Waite said he was pleased with the weekend results, although he preferred a pair of wins.
On the field against Elko, the play was dominated in the midfield, but Fallon had several scoring chances. In the first half, Enriquez fired a shot that just went high over the crossbar in the 23rd minute.
Tristan Parrott followed 8 minutes later with a point-blank shot blocked by the keeper. Parrott, though, nearly ended the tie in the second half.
Off a corner kick by Austin Bischoff, Parrott flew threw the air in the box and blasted a header on net, which was knocked away by the keeper.
Fallon’s playoff chances, meanwhile, hinge on the final four matches. After Lowry, the Wave take on Fernley (0-10) and powers Truckee and Sparks, who are in first- and second-place, respectively, in the Northern Division I-A.
“Lowry and Fernley are must wins,” Waite said. “I feel like if we execute it (the game plan), we should come out comfortably.”
Lady Wave split on road trip
ELKO — Fallon lost, 3-0, Saturday to Elko at Adobe Middle School.
After neither team could breakthrough in the first half, the Lady Indians got their offense going after a pep talk from their coach.
Seven minutes into the second half, Elko broke up the scoreless affair. Brittney Gonzalez made a nice cross pass from the right side, and Marissa Sandoval was wide open for the finish.
In the 68th minute, a pair of players who started the season on the junior varsity team, joined up to make it 2-0. Madi Andreozzi sent the assist ahead to Allyiha Rasch for the goal.
In the final minutes, the Indians iced the game when Brook Pawelek won the ball and went through the defense for a score. For Pawelek, it is her 12th goal of the season as she leads the Tribe in that category.
The Indians improve to 8-3-1 in Northern I-A league play as they work to secure a playoff berth, and Saturday’s win was huge. They play a pair of road games this week against Dayton on Thursday and South Tahoe on Friday.
Fallon, meanwhile, drops to 8-2-2 and sits in third place behind Truckee and South Tahoe. The Lady Wave played at Lowry on Tuesday and host Fernley at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Fallon, though, dropped Spring Creek, 3-1, on Friday. The Lady Wave broke through in the 23rd minute, when Fallon forward Maddie Alegre ran past the Spring Creek back line and fired a shot past goalkeeper Jasmin Giere from 15 yards out.
Fallon’s sustained pressure paid off in the 69th minute, when Alegre collected her second tally on another breakaway.
Alegre completed her hat trick by finishing on another breakaway to make the score 3-0.
Martin Harris and Blake Samanas of the Elko Daily Free Press contributed to this report.