Lady Wave forward Kayla Biggs settles the ball during Fallon's 2-0 loss at Truckee on Saturday.
It was a rough weekend for the Fallon boys soccer team.
The Greenwave stumbled with a 2-0 loss at South Tahoe on Thursday and a 3-1 defeat at Truckee on Saturday.
Against Truckee, Fallon played a defensive game, pulling most of its team back to defend against Truckee’s attack. It worked for most of the game, except for about a 4-minute span from the 34th to 38th minute, when Truckee scored three goals.
The first came off the boot of Thomas Arnstein on an assist by David Martinez in the 34th. Martinez added the second from near the top of the box in the 36th.
Arnstein added the dagger in the 38th when he bumped it up twice to himself and blasted a volley into the net.
Truckee continued to dominate possession in the second half but couldn’t score against the defensive pressure.
In about the 60th minute, Fallon’s Tristan Parrott hit a nice shot back against his momentum from the right wing. Parrott’s shot went high and to the left of Truckee goalie Gabby Serna for the Wave’s lone goal.
“I was proud of 78 minutes of our play,” Fallon coach Nate Waite said. “But we gave up the three goals. Our mental focus went away for just that one moment. But for the most part, we had some things go the way we wanted. Truckee is a very skilled team. The first time we played them they passed all around us. I thought we did a good job today. It just didn’t go our way.”
Against South Tahoe, Vikings forward Michal Lis scored a goal in each half as the Vikings beat Fallon 2-0 at Viking Stadium.
“We were a little too timid at the first of the match, and I don’t think we played to our potential,” Waite said. “We got a little behind, and it’s hard to catch up.”
South Tahoe came out attacking, and forced the Greenwave to absorb pressure from the start of the match. Fallon employed a triangle in the midfield at the start — and the Vikings countered by playing the ball outside rather than changing their tactics.
“We were able to play it on the outside and stay away from their strength in the middle,” Vikings head coach Ben Hannah said.
Lis and midfielder Danny Teran exploited Fallon’s defense on the right side of the field, and that partnership led to the first goal of the match. Lis opened the scoring in the 25th minute, and South Tahoe maintained that lead headed into halftime.
“In the first half, they were really pressing us,” Waite said. “We were stepped backwards and they punished us.”
Three minutes into the second half, Lis struck again to put South Tahoe ahead 2-0. A through ball from forward Danny Lizaola sent Lis into the box, and he spun a shot with the outside of his right foot past Greenwave goalkeeper Miguel Ruiz and into the goal.
“We expected a lot of attack from South Tahoe — they’re talented that way,” Waite said. “I felt like we still had the potential to get one or two back after that.”
South Tahoe continued to control play after taking a two-goal lead. Fallon didn’t have a shot on goal in the second half, and its best scoring chances came on a pair of corner kicks in the 70th minute — the first was cleared and the second sailed through the Vikings’ penalty box untouched.
“In the last part of the match I felt like we were back to normal,” Waite said. “I have to hand it to South Tahoe — they’re a good team and they had an effective attack on us. They earned the match.”
In the first meeting between the two teams in Fallon on Sept. 20, the Greenwave fell behind before rallying for a 2-1 victory. On Thursday, South Tahoe scored early and stayed in front with consistent attacking and pressure.
“We didn’t rest once we put one up on the board — we kept driving at them and we didn’t sit back,” Hannah said. “We came back behind the ball and were able to play a team defense today that really kind of stifled their momentum going forward.”
Both teams face league-leading Truckee in their next matches. Fallon plays at Truckee on Saturday at noon, and South Tahoe hosts the Wolverines on Monday at 5 p.m.
Truckee downs Lady Wave
After a scoreless first half, Truckee’s Sophie Warren scored on a cross from Lydia Christian as the Wolverines dropped Fallon, 2-0, for the win on Saturday.
Lynde Tucker, who missed the first half for the SATs, returned midway through the second half and scored in the 70th minute on an assist by Hannah Seppi.
Tucker blasted it from near the top of the box high and out of the reach of Fallon goalkeeper Cheyenne Sweeney.
The Lady Wave played at Sparks on Tuesday, but results were not available.
Sierra Sun sports reporter Sylas Wright and Tahoe Daily Tribune sports reporter Anthony Gentile contributed to this report.