By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Pride, Bulldog boys soccer tie in second match of season
Pitman boys soccer 1
Pitman’s Lilian Kermorvan works his way down the field while keeping the ball away from his Bulldog opponents during the game Tuesday evening. The game ended in a 1-1 tie (CANDY PADILLA/The Journal).

Both the Turlock and Pitman boys soccer teams entered Tuesday’s crosstown matchup hungry for a league win, but the rivals had to settle for a tie.

The Pride won the first crosstown matchup 5-4 and were looking for a sweep. The Bulldogs needed a win to stay competitive in the league, but the two teams ended up tying with a score of 1-1.

“They played their hearts out,” said Pitman head coach Memo Ramirez. “They went in, they loved the game and played their best. We were looking for the win, but they were a good team as well; at least we got the tie.”

“The team played well, but we struggled finishing,” said Turlock head coach Jose Sanchez. “We had quite a few opportunities, but we just couldn’t score goals.”

The Pride came out aggressive to start off the game and got three early shots at goal. It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to pick up the urgency and they got a couple of good shots of their own. The Pride had a free kick around the 25th minute, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

Turlock boys soccer
Turlock's Israel Garcia works the ball down the field during the cross-town rivalry game against Pitman Tuesday evening (CANDY PADILLA/The Journal).

With time running in the half, the Bulldogs lined up a corner in the 37th minute and Eduardo Zamudio was able to sink it in the net from a couple feet for the first goal of the game. The celebration was short lived though, with the Pride’s Kaiden Rieben going down the field and hitting the equalizer in overtime.

Coming out of the half the Pride knew the Bulldogs were going to be aggressive and was prepared for the attack. Turlock did ratchet up the intensity and controlled possession for most of the second half.

“We knew they were going to go on the attack because they needed the win for their record,” said Ramirez. “I prepared the team for that situation and I told them on the counter attack we have some speed.”

Goalkeeper Ivan Sandoval refused to be beaten though and was stopping everything that came close to the net. The Bulldogs best opportunity came in the 70th minute where an attacker broke free and had an open shot at goal to take the lead, but ended up hitting the goalpost. With the final seconds winding down in extra time, the Pride had one more opportunity but wasn’t able to capitalize on an open shot and sailed it over the goalpost. The teams ended the game with one goal a piece. 

“We need to work on finishing and our whole squad isn’t playing,” said Sanchez. “I told the team to keep their heads up and keep playing hard. They had a good game today. It's just unfortunate we can’t score and finish the games.”

Pitman now has a record of 9-6-1 with a 3-3-1 record in league play, which puts them in third place. Their next match is Jan. 27 against Enochs at home. Turlock has a record of 4-8-3 with a league record of 1-4-2 and sits at sixth place. Their next match is an away game against Downey on Jan. 27 as well.