Patience proved to be a virtue for the Kentridge High boys soccer team on Monday night at French Field.
The Chargers didn’t have many opportunities against upstart Kentlake, but they did make the most of their biggest shot of the night. Kentridge’s Jesse Jensen delivered from 25 yards deep in the 78th minute, putting a shot just past the fingertips of Kentlake goalkeeper Brandon Shipley, leading the Chargers past the Falcons 1-0 in a South Puget Sound League North Division showdown.
“He was close,” said Kentlake coach Kyle Jones of Shipley’s attempted save. “He made some amazing saves tonight.”
Though Kentridge remained behind Auburn Riverside in the win column at the end of the night, the Chargers momentarily moved into the top spot in the SPSL North on points. The win helped the Chargers improve to 5-1-1 in league play with 16 points, a single point ahead of the Ravens. Auburn Riverside tied Kentwood Monday night, 1-1.
Kentridge played Auburn Riverside to a 1-1 tie on March 26.
“Last year, we would tie or lose these types of games,” said Kentridge coach Glenn Walrond of the win over Kentlake. “The extra effort, working hard for 80 minutes paid off. The maturity of this team is good. We’re happy to be where we’re at, but there’s a lot of work still to be done.”
Kentridge continued to play well on Wednesday night, working to a 3-3 tie with Jefferson. The Raiders (3-1-3) were picked before the season as a frontrunner to win the division.
“It’s not a bad thing (to tie),” Walrond said. “Jefferson came out and played really, really well. They outplayed us for part of the game, so to come out with a point (for a tie) is nice.”
Since falling to Tahoma on March 20, 1-0, the Chargers have won five of seven games. The only two games the Chargers didn’t win resulted in ties.
Much of that success has been due to the rock-solid defense of senior goalkeeper Alex Ferguson, who registered the shutout against Kentlake.
It was Ferguson’s third shutout and Jensen’s second goal of the season.
“He’s 5-3 and (Kentlake) lost track of him,” Walrond said of Jensen. “He’s a great little guy, really, really fast and can jump. He’s just a bundle of energy.”
Kentlake had its share of opportunities throughout the game, but simply couldn’t find the back of the net. Ferguson made two strong saves on hard shots from Kentlake’s Drew Landram. Meanwhile, Allen Shour, who came into the night with four goals this season, also had a shot stopped by Ferguson.
It was a tough loss, Jones admitted, especially considering Kentridge netted the game winner with just two minutes remaining in regulation. Kentlake lost to Kentwood just days earlier on a game-winning shot that also was delivered in the 78th minute.
“It seems to be happening right now,” Jones lamented. “The kids need to be held accountable, but I need to be held accountable, too. When you give up goals that late, there’s a mental lapse. It’s just so frustrating to watch a goal be scored in the 78th minute and then, during the final two minutes, the kids are jacked up trying to score.”
The 78th minute proved golden for the Chargers (6-1-1, 17 points) against Jefferson as well. Down 3-2, Nick Tobon scored on an assist from Esteban Tobon, tying the game 3-3 with just minutes left. One minute later, Esteban Tobon had a look at an open goal from roughly six-yards out, but was unable to convert.
Being that close to the victory was tough, Walrond admitted.
“I’m glad we got the point, but I am still kicking myself we didn’t get the win.”
Jensen delivered a pair of assists against Jefferson. Sean Dunn and Scott Geffre both scored in the tie.
• ALSO: The Kentwood High boys soccer team was primed for a small upset of first-place Auburn Riverside Monday night, but simply couldn’t hang on through the game’s final 10 minutes. Kentwood’s Chad Fuller put the Conquerors ahead 1-0 at the 70th minute mark with an unassisted goal. Auburn Riverside, which hasn’t yet been beaten in SPSL North play, responded one minute later on an unassisted goal from Shane Gutierrez. It was AR’s third tie of the season. … Kent-Meridian played its finest game of the season Monday night, but couldn’t split the pipes in a 1-0 loss to always-tough Tahoma. Tahoma’s Jared King scored unassisted in the 77th minute to seal the victory. It’s the fewest goals K-M has allowed in a game all season.
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