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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 10, 2004 Pirates shake off the rust for shutout win By ROB McCALLUM Mail Tribune TALENT — Winning the Skyline Conference boys soccer title earned Phoenix a pass through the district playoffs and the preliminary round of the Class 3A state playoffs. That blessing was also a curse as it left the second-ranked Pirates idle for 17 days. But Phoenix was able to shake off the rust in its playoff opener, beating Wilsonville 2-0 Tuesday afternoon at Colver Field. "We had 2½ weeks off and we were rusty," Phoenix coach Dennis Flenner said. "At halftime I told them, ‘Play our game and play the way we play.’ Once we got the rust off, we came alive." Wilsonville brought a long-passing style of play, which made for lots of transition and kept the Pirates off balance. Advertisement "We were just playing kickball," said Phoenix sophomore midfielder Albaro Gonzalez. "We were playing right into their game." After a back-and-forth first half, the Pirates scored both of their goals in a span of five minutes early in the second half. Senior forward Jaime Escobedo was the hero, tallying both. "We played to live another day," Escobedo said. "We came out in the second half with everything we had." Seven minutes into the second half, Kyle McKinnis pushed the ball up the left side of the field for Phoenix and found Gonzalez in the midfield. Gonzalez chipped it to Escobedo, who found the lower right corner of the Wilsonville net. "Albaro he gave me a nice pass," Escobedo said. "I just had to do what I do." Wilsonville was only able to get the ball into Phoenix territory once more before the Pirates were on the move again. In the 52nd minute, Gonzalez was fouled at the top of the box. Escobedo converted the ensuing free kick, sending the ball just over the Wildcats’ line and into the upper right corner of the net. "Once we scored a couple of times, our spirits went up and theirs went down," Flenner said. "That’s what happens when you score two quick goals." Wilsonville’s go-for-broke style created several scoring opportunities, but none resulted in goals. Phoenix goalkeeper John Rowden was spotless in the net, recording nine saves. The Wildcats outshot the Pirates, 14-10, most coming from 20 yards or more out. "Through the whole game it was pretty intense," said Rowden. "We picked it up in the second half, and once we got two goals, it took some pressure off." Phoenix pressured Wilsonville by moving senior sweeper Nathan Bursk upfield, leaving the Pirate defense short-handed. "We have to rely solely on Jon sometimes," Flenner said. "With Nate (Bursk) pressuring the other team ... that leaves only three guys back. So we have to say ‘Okay, stop whatever they bring at you.’ John did a stand-up job today." Flenner credits his midfield for finding gaps in the Wilsonville defense. "The fight in the midfield was key," he said. "Aggressive play from (Uriel) Castillo, Gonzalez and McKinnis allowed Jaime to get open. And when you do that, bad things happen." Wilsonville, the No. 3 seed out of the Tri Valley League, came to Talent three days removed from a grueling 1-0 shootout win at Marist in the preliminary round. "They played a good match today," Flenner said. "Especially considering the extremely tough league they come out of and the road they took to get here." Phoenix improved to 14-1 on the season and will host No. 5-ranked Central (12-1-1) on Saturday in the quarterfinals. "We’re trying to go all the way," Gonzalez said. "If we can play this good or better, I think we can." Reach reporter Rob McCallum at 776-4480 Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities