ENID, Okla. — Enid coach Jorge Cabada hosts Santa Fe South, whose team won three straight Class 5A state championships, in the boys final of the Enid Invitational Soccer Tournament on Saturday, March 30, 2024. They were in a good mood after pushing themselves to the limit and losing 3-1. , located at the Advance Soccer Complex.
In the women's final, Santa Fe South defeated the Pacers 1-0.
Both EHS teams have an overall record of 5-3 heading into their home region matchup against Yukon Territory at the Soccer Complex on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
“It was a great game. There's a reason they're three-time defending state champions. As a fan of the game, I want my team to play well. We put everything on the field. It was a great match,” Cavada said. We got better and they got better. ”
The game reached halftime scoreless.
Frankie Salazar scored three total goals for the Saints with 37:11 left, 18:46 left and 11:41 left after the break. Plainsmen goaltender Jonathan Wallace unofficially made 16 saves, including several diving stops.
“I believe No. 10 (Salazar) is the best player in the state,” Cabada said. “I know SMU has been talking to him. He's been phenomenal. It's made our defense better. He's killed us on our little mistakes, which is great.” What do great players do? ”
The Plainsmen narrowly missed their final two scoring opportunities, but freshman Jesus Enriquez scored Enid's only goal with 35:51 remaining.
The Plainsmen were playing without three starters, including leading scorer David Smith, who is scheduled to play Tuesday.
“Our freshman was phenomenal. I'm proud of them. Are they perfect? No, but they do what we ask him to do and continue to build his game. .Our future is bright,” Cavada said.
The loss of the female student was heartbreaking.
The only goal of the game came with 11 minutes, 58 seconds left in the first half when the ball bounced off the face of Pacer senior Marisa Chavez in front of Santa Fe's goal.
Enid coach Tim Lavoie said: “We really don't know what happened. Marisa is a player who sacrifices her body and puts everything on the line. Unfortunately, things like this happen sometimes in soccer. It's a brutal game. Sometimes,” he said. Teams that work hard and sacrifice a lot don't always come out on top. ”
Pacer goaltender Brie Lamoreaux kept her team in the game with solid play. She unofficially recorded eight saves. The Pacers have had some tough breaks. With 8:19 left, Tabitha Miler hit the top of the goal post.
Several shots narrowly missed the goal. Eva Barnett was in position to score with 13:54 remaining, but her shot was blocked. The Pacers were unable to score on penalty kicks early in the second half.
“It was heartbreaking. We had a lot of chances,” Lavoie said. “The first half was a little tough, but we came together and played tougher in the second half. We're going to learn from this. Santa Fe South is a great team.” Told. It's a good team. They won this.”
Lavoie said it was disappointing that the Pacers couldn't repeat as tournament champions, but said it would be a learning experience.
“We're going to pull ourselves together. There's nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.
Both Cabada and Lavoie said the loss doesn't hurt the team's chances of making the playoffs, which is a goal for both teams since it's a intradistrict game.
Enid's team had defeated Grant of the United States 4-0 in the morning with goals from Oswaldo Herrera, Diego Chavez, James Cabada, and Yan Casillas to advance to the final.
Cabada said the injury allowed EHS' young players to gain experience.
