Bryan Duenas, right, takes possession of the ball against North Tahoe.
The Greenwave soccer team suffered two losses this week against the Dayton Dust Devils and the North Tahoe Lakers.
Both matches ended 8-0 under the mercy rule. The rule was recently changed — under the new rule, the match ends when one team leads by eight goals after 20 minutes of the second half.
The Dayton match ended with seven minutes left on the clock, and Wednesday ended at 20.
Wednesday’s home match saw the Lakers dominate the field. North Tahoe’s offense moved the ball well and kept play in Greenwave territory. Fallon’s defense was especially strong with goalie Cesar Molina stopping several shots on the goal — North Tahoe’s lead would have been far bigger had things been different.
“Cesar’s a great goalie,” said Fallon coach Nate Toigo. “He’s also a great offensive player, he strives and he pushes himself; he’s an example to our team.”
Kevin Maya also received praise for how he attacked the ball from Toigo. Throughout the match, he was able to get in front of the ball and stop North Tahoe’s attacks. The coach said that kind of attacking game, and not being afraid of going after the ball, was another thing the team was working on.
Toigo said the Greenwave needs to improve on first touches and controlling the ball when it’s in their possession. He said it was something young teams usually have to build to.
“What they (North Tahoe) had in their passing is essentially what we want to work towards,” he said. “The quick one touch, two touch passing and support; those are all things we try to work on.”
The Greenwave has another set of back-to-back matches next week. Fallon plays Fernley on Tuesday and Lowry on Wednesday. Both will be played at the Churchill County High School field.
Saturday will also see the resurgence of the alumni game. The event begins at 9 a.m. and will feature alumni playing the younger players as a fundraiser for the program; there will also be food and drinks available.