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With this victory, the Cavemen take sole possession of second place in the SWC ahead of the Panthers shorthand
Three weeks ago, South Medford made the 30-minute trip on I-5 and opened the Southwestern Conference game with a field victory from Grants Pass.
On Saturday, the Cavemen returned the favor.
After falling behind in the middle of the first half, Grants Pass rallied to reverse the score in their favor as Elijah Leach assisted on a tying goal and then scored the game winner to help the Cavemen to clinch a 2-1 victory over South Medford.
“You know, I think these guys dug deep,” said Grants Pass head coach Travis Boersma. “They really wanted this game in a big way. South got us the first, we got them the second. We put in a huge effort as a team in the second half. It was a big deal because when you play as a team it’s a much better game.
Grants Pass (5-3-1, 4-2 SWC) and South Medford (6-4, 3-3) entered the day tied for second in the league standings behind South Eugene, first, with the Panthers ‘Sept. 18 wins giving them the advantage in a tiebreaker.
With South Eugene’s victory over Roseburg on Saturday, Grants Pass has second place on its own while South Medford is left one game behind in third.
The Panthers, who had won three of their last four outings before Saturday’s game, have again played with a short bench due to a multitude of absences.
“For us it was tired legs,” said South head coach Claudio Villa, whose team beat Nelson High 7-0 less than 24 hours earlier. “We only had three subs due to injuries, and due to COVID we had three starters. It was definitely tired legs. You have a small squad, your starters are tired and you don’t have a large bench. It’s a bit difficult to keep up with that speed – especially at this level – so it was a big deal. “
Before fatigue set in, South was dangerous going forward, creating the bulk of their scoring opportunities before half-time. Seven of the Panthers’ 13 shots came in the first 40 minutes, with Cavemen goalie Jacob Moss staying busy.
South’s first chance came in the eighth minute when second-year forward Cash Cota nearly gave the Panthers the lead with a curved shot that went right off at the far post.
Less than three minutes later, the Panthers made it 1-0. Second-year striker Felix Valenzuela’s shot from the top of the 18-yard penalty area was initially saved by Moss, but junior midfielder Alex Rodriguez was in the right place at the right time and scored the rebound.
“Once again, I come back to having fresh legs in the first half,” Villa said. “You have your starters creating some danger, but then they get tired and you work at half speed.”
Grants Pass, however, managed to weather the first-half storm and limit the South to just one goal despite the plethora of scoring opportunities. Four of Moss’ five saves in the game came before half-time, including two diving saves that kept the South’s lead 1-0.
The Cavemen tied the game with less than a minute to go in the first half, as Leach delivered a corner that found senior Parker Pastrell, who slid it past Panthers goalkeeper Silvano Pineda.
Even though he pulled even, Grants Pass didn’t rest on its laurels.
“The coach basically told us that we could have done better, that we could have done better and that small mistakes lead to goals,” said Leach. “He told us that the second half was a full game to try to win. “
That’s what they ended up doing.
In the 59th minute, the Cavemen completed the comeback. Working the ball from the right wing to the left, first-year midfielder Tristen Gembala distributed it to Leach, who found a free space on the left. Leach didn’t think twice about where the ball was going, hammering a shot to make it 2-1.
“I saw everyone drifting because the ball was on the right side,” Leach said. “The forward got the ball back, so I went in and out when I saw the opening. I just called for the ball and hit it with one touch.
Two minutes earlier Rodriguez had a chance to put South the lead on a quick counterattack, but Grants Pass’s Evan Miranda slipped a block on a shot that was meant to go on target.
“I think it was the state of mind,” Boersma said. “More than anything, it was the state of mind. These guys got together, they didn’t lose their cool, they kept their cool and we started to own the ball and control the game. That’s the whole story. “
Boersma also underlined a change in personnel leading to the charge of his team in the second half.
“We made an adjustment in the latter part of the second half and that was with Mario Torres – we had him at No.6 (position) as a sustaining midfielder,” said Boersma. “It made a big difference because we have great leaders there with Cade Brandes, Parker Pastrell and Mario as our central defense. It was the difference in the game. Mario really stepped up and had a hell of a game.
South Medford finished with a 13-11 shooting advantage.
Pineda recorded five saves before injuring himself late in the second half after colliding with a Grants Pass player.
“We have a list of 16 players, and now we’re down to 13 or 14,” Villa said. “We play JV’s kids here and there. We’re still rebuilding, but I think we have a good group and it’s a long season. It was just a game.
Contact reporter Danny Penza at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @penzatopaper.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Cash Cota of South Medford is stopped by Grants Pass goalkeeper Jacob Moss during the second half of Saturday’s game.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Alex Rodriguez of South Medford fights for the ball against Cade Brandes of Grants Pass during the first half of Saturday’s game.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Steven Calvillo of South Medford gets the ball away from traffic during the first half of Saturday’s game.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Peyton Rodgers of South Medford and Porter Boersma of Grants Pass fight for control in the second half of Saturday’s game.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Cash Cota of South Medford controls the ball past Cade Brandes of Grants Pass during the second half of Saturday’s game.
Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Javier Lopez of South Medford tries to control the ball during the second half of Saturday’s game against Grants Pass.
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