Greenwave goalkeeper Miguel Perez dives for a save during Friday's 4-1 loss to Truckee in the Northern Division I-A playoffs.
The chances were there, but the opportunities were missed.
As a result, the Fallon boys soccer team was ousted from the Northern Division I-A playoffs in a 4-1 loss at Truckee on Friday.
The Wolverines, meanwhile, fell 2-1 to Sparks in Saturday’s title match, although both rivals qualified for this week’s state tournament in Las Vegas.
“I am extremely proud of all of them,” Fallon coach Nate Waite said. “We didn’t have a very big pool in tryouts.”
Fallon stood even with the Wolverines and entered the second half locked in a 1-1 tie.
Truckee opened the scoring, but Fallon answered on a set piece.
The Wave scored on a goal by Austin Bischoff on a free kick. Waite said Bischoff’s shot bounced awkwardly and kicked off the goalkeeper and trickled in.
Truckee, though, dodged a bullet late in the first half when Fallon’s Mario Ugalde appeared to score the go-ahead goal. The score, however, was called off as the officials ruled Ugalde had kicked the ball from under the arm of the keeper.
“A side judge felt like the keeper had a hand on it,” Waite said. “They continued working hard and were making them play.”
Fallon’s luck, or lack thereof, continued in the opening minutes of the second half. In another controversial point in the match, Fallon midfielder Corbin Waite blasted a shot that ricocheted straight down from the crossbar.
The ball, to some, appeared to bounce behind the goal line, but the officials ruled the ball did not cross the line leaving the game tied at 1.
“Some people thought it was in, some people didn’t think it went in,” Nate Waite said. “We could have been up 3-1, but that’s the way games go.”
Soon thereafter, Truckee tallied its second goal forcing the Wave to alter its formation.
“I had to pull kids out of position being behind,” Waite added. “Then they scored a couple a goals once we changed that formation. I felt like we ran out of gas.”
Fallon ends the season with an 11-8-3 overall record and a mark of 9-6-1 in league play.
“For the things they’ve achieved, it’s extraordinary,” Waite said. “They had great attitudes, always positive and I could not have asked for a nicer team to have coached.”
State tournament
Truckee and Sparks will represent the Northern DI-A at Friday’s boys state tournament in Henderson.
Truckee will face Sunrise Mountain, while Sparks takes on Chaparral. Both games start at 4 p.m.
In the girls bracket, Truckee upset South Tahoe, 3-2, to win the regional title. Truckee slipped past Spring Creek, 2-1, in double overtime in the semfinal, while South Tahoe drilled Lowry, 4-0.
Truckee plays Sierra Vista, while South Tahoe battles Faith Lutheran. Both matches kick off at 6 p.m.