Carson's Alejandro Gonzalez slides to steal the ball from a Hug player Wednesday night in Reno.
RENO — The Carson High boys soccer team knocked on the proverbial door for the first 40 minutes Wednesday night, and in the second half it finally kicked it in.
Guillermo Hernandez scored on a header in the 46th minute to tie the game at 1, and Abel Sanchez scored on a direct free kick in the 61st minute to give the Senators a 2-1 win over Hug in a Division I crossover game at Rollins Stallworth Stadium.
The win gives Carson a 4-0 record entering Saturday’s 1 p.m. match-up with North Valleys. All of Carson’s wins have come against High Desert teams thus far.
Unofficially, Carson got off 22 shots compared to 12. The Senators had more serious scoring opportunities than the Hawks, especially in the first half.
“We did dominate,” Carson coach Mike Alvarez said. “I was happy with our possessions, and we got some great looks tonight, and we were able to convert a couple for the win.”
Carson had two good opportunities in the first minute, but didn’t convert. That was the story of the first half for Carson, which adapted well to the slower grass surface at Hug.
Hug’s only goal came on its third shot of the game by Eric Alvarado which got by Carson keeper Victor Guardardo, who was starting in place of Efren Ramirez.
The Senators outshot Hug, 6-1, the remainder of the half. The Senators, at the 23-minute mark, put Ramirez in the game, and he only faced one shot in the last 17 minutes of the half.
“Efren started feeling a little better,” Alvarez said. “Both are good keepers. Efren exudes more confidence, and I think that makes our defense feel good.”
Six minutes into the second half, Carson knotted the game when Guillermo Hernandez headed in Rogelio Herrera’s corner kick for his third goal of the season.
“I saw him (Hernandez) running toward the goal,” Herrera said.
Carson’s next best chance came in the 53rd minute when Sanchez blasted one over the crossbar. Hug had two good looks in the next three minutes, and then Sanchez blasted his game-winner in the left corner of the net. It was his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
“We’ve been working on our (direct free) shots,” Alvarez said. “We let him (Sanchez) go with it and make the decision where he wants to shoot it. It was a great shot.”
Carson managed to keep Hug’s offense at bay for the final 19 minutes to secure the win. Defenders Christian Martinez, Peter Garrett, Osvaldo Gomez and Sal Rodriquez were solid on the back line.
• Carson’s JV team battled to a 1-1 tie with the Hawks.