Mayla Dahl, left, races to get the ball from Truckee's Liliana Hosefros.
The Lady Wave soccer team took on one of the best teams in the league, Friday.
After a mostly one-sided match, Fallon lost to Truckee 9-0 under the mercy rule.
Truckee scored the first goal in less than a minute, and reached the mercy rule’s eight-point trigger with 20 minutes to go in the first half. The rule only ends the match halfway through the second half, so play continued for another 40 minutes.
The Lady Wolverines were good sports, however, and did not continue to play for goals; they focused on passing the ball and running down the clock while keeping the ball out of Fallon’s possession, scoring only one goal in the second half.
Fallon coach Randy Hines commended Truckee as a talented team. He said Fallon struggled with possession, which led to limited scoring opportunities.
“Truckee took advantage of our struggles and had plenty of scoring opportunities,” he said. “We will be working to solidify our defense to not allow easy scoring chances for our opponents.”
Truckee had a series of advantages over the Lady Wave. The lake players are all tall and fast runners. Fallon has also suffered a number of injuries this season, leading to a small bench with little chance for substitution. Hines said the injuries make it hard for the Wave to perform at the same level as the competition; he noted they have to “shuffle the lineup every game.” The players are recovering, though, and he expects two players will be back on the field in time for tonight’s match.
The Greenwave boys’ soccer team also lost to Truckee while on the road, 8-0. Coach Nate Toigo said Truckee has an experienced team with lots of talent. He added how proud he is of his players for not getting discouraged at the loss and said they look to the Wolverines as an example of the team they want to become.
Toigo praised Fallon goalie Cesar Molina for his performance in the net. The coach recalled Molina made great saves throughout the match, earning praise from Truckee’s side.
“He made a picturesque diving save that earned applause from the Truckee fans,” Toigo recalled.
Tonight, the Lady Wave plays at home against Sparks with the boys traveling. Both varsity matches begin at 5 p.m. Hines noted Sparks is winless in league and expects a good match.