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Phoenix advances to quarterfinal By MIKE WEBER for the Mail Tribune THE DALLES - For the Phoenix High boys soccer team, it's an honor to be ranked No. 1 in the Oregon coaches poll. But it wasn't much of an advantage in the second round of the OSAA-U.S. Bank Class 3A state-playoff format. Phoenix (15-1) made a seven-hour trip north to the Columbia Gorge Monday, but it returned home victorious following an impressive, 4-0 win Tuesday over The Dalles (12-3-2). The Pirates next meet No. 4 Junction City Saturday in a home quarterfinal match. Freshman forward Jaime Escobedo, playing in his first varsity match, scored twice, while senior forward David Peterson and sophomore Adam Machado added one goal apiece. A stellar defensive performance led by the Pirates' "Three Musketeers" - Al Albright, Chris Swann and Scott Ware - helped senior goalkeeper Daniel Kieffer record his ninth shutout. The tenacious play of the trio and junior John Chavez effectively shut down the Indians' top two scorers, Luis Gamez and Tiago Martin. "I thought that this would be a tough, close game, and I was surprised how easily we won," said Albright, the Pirates' senior team captain. "We made sure that there were always a couple of defenders behind us whenever The Dalles had the ball on our side of the field. "We contained them (Martin and Gamez) well, and we were determined to prevent them from breaking through our defense. I think if we continue playing as well as we are now, then we'll have a good chance to win the state championship." Although there isn't a scoreboard at Kramer Field, it didn't take long for Phoenix to get untracked as Peterson stole a ball inside the 18-yard box after a short pass between The Dalles goalkeeper Mike Telfer and an Indian defender. Peterson's unassisted, uncontested goal from 12 yards was the Pirates' easiest shot and it gave them a 1-0 lead five minutes into the contest. Machado, a 6-foot midfielder, scored on a 17-yard shot following a breakaway run from the center of the field after getting an assist from midfielder John Feeney in the 28th minute. Escobedo scored in the 38th minute after getting an assist from senior John Hendricks, who sent a perfect crossing pass to Escobedo for a 13-yard shot and a 3-0 halftime lead. "There's going to be some tough opponents in the playoffs, but with the talented players we have, I think our team definitely has the potential to win the championship," said Hendricks, who leads the Pirates in scoring with 24 goals. Escobedo notched his second goal in the 65th minute as he took a pass from Adam Detrick and fired a shot into the net from 5 yards. Phoenix nearly scored four goals in the second half as two shots ricocheted off the crossbar, and a goal by Feeney wasn't allowed because he was offside. "Being ranked No. 1 is scary because now it actually inspires our opponent to play their best game," said Pirate coach Dennis Flenner. "There's more pressure on us to continue winning so that we can defend our No. 1 ranking, and it's tough because now there seems to be a target on our back." Kieffer made eight saves and lauded his defensive teammates. "I think we have the best defense in the state," he said, "and it's easy to play goalkeeper while having so many great players on our team. I really didn't have to make many saves because our defenders usually prevented the ball from getting anywhere near the goal. They actually combined to make more saves than I did." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.