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CLEAR Temp: 70 °F Wind: NW at 3 mph Monday, June 10, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend May 28, 2002 Mutiny tops Nuggets in battle of RVSC teams By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune An impromptu reunion was held Monday morning at North Medford High’s Hoffbuhr Field. But rather than reminiscing, slow-dancing and inebriation, soccer was the theme. In the under-19 boys final of the Rogue Valley Cup, the Mutiny and Nuggets, both composed primarily of Rogue Valley players, met up for an intense-yet- friendly match. Ryan Wallenberg’s second-half goal and assist pushed the Mutiny, younger but more cohesive, to a 2-0 victory. "Finally, we pieced everything together," said Mutiny head coach Dave Kaufman, who formed the Rogue Valley Soccer Club team in January and was directing it in probably its last match Monday. In the Nuggets, the Mutiny, which featured all high school seniors and juniors, found themselves up against a collection of peers, former prep teammates and college freshmen. Craig Tomlins, the Southern Oregon Conference’s player of the year as a South Medford senior in 2000, said the Nuggets were a last-minute addition to the Cup field. "We put this team together with about 15 minutes ‘til the registration deadline," said Tomlins, fresh off his freshman year at the University of San Diego. "We had no practices, no conditioning." Nonetheless, a core group of former RVSC Crew teammates, at least five high school seniors and a few California college freshmen friendly with Rogue Valley natives sparked the Nuggets through pool play Saturday and Sunday with a 3-0 record. The Mutiny also went 3-0 to set up Monday’s championship clash. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie, not that scoring chances were lacking. Mutiny goalkeeper Matt Lamont, a Grants Pass senior headed to the University of Portland, dove to his left to save a Nuggets header in the opening minutes. Later, Lamont charged out of his goal to snuff Nuggets forward Pedro Gutierrez, who had broken away from the Mutiny defense. The Mutiny’s best opportunity in the opening 45 minutes came when midfielder Daniel Hathaway, a South Medford junior, drilled a low shot from outside the 18-yard box. Nuggets goalkeeper Kyle Hadley, another 2001 South graduate, dove to his right to corral the blast. About 10 minutes into the second half, Wallenberg dispossessed Tomlins in the Nuggets’ defensive one-third and centered to Hathaway, who passed left to Klamath Union junior Tyler Casey. Hadley blocked Casey’s shot, but Hathaway collected the rebound and fired off the crossbar. Wallenberg, alone on the right side, got the ricochet and easily tucked away the first goal of the game. "Some say I’m lazy, and I just stand around waiting for the ball to come around," said Wallenberg, a South junior, of his knack for being in the right place at the right time. "I try to do as little running as possible." Hustling, whether he’d admit it or not, Wallenberg made things happen again with less than 10 minutes remaining. He stole the ball from former prep teammate Adam Walport, a South senior, and dribbled down the right sideline before centering. Todd Sesock, a Crater junior who wasn’t with the Mutiny during the winter club season, calmly controlled Wallenberg’s pass and, with plenty of time to spare, beat Hadley to the goalkeeper’s left. "He’s gonna have a breakout year," Kaufman said of Wallenberg, who led the Mutiny in scoring as a forward in the Cup and was honorable mention all-SOC as a midfielder last fall. "He’s always had a lot of talent, but now he’s starting to see the game a ton better." Ashland junior Matt Sharp, manning the Mutiny’s central midfield, said the two second-half goals were fitting, for his squad woke up and stepped up after the break. "We had a lot more control," said Sharp, a first-team all-SOC pick in 2001. "We were a lot more calm in the second half." The Nuggets outshot the Mutiny, 14-10, and forced Lamont to make four saves. "Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good," Tomlins said. But the majority of the Nuggets’ shots came from long distance, as the Mutiny defense did a fine job of limiting the Nuggets’ options. "Our defense was really solid, and what won the game was our counterattacks," said stopper Pat Lower, a South senior who is headed to St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., to play college soccer. "We’d win the ball and kind of catch them off-guard." Lower teamed with sweeper Jonas Ritter, an Ashland exchange student from Germany, and fullbacks Cody George, a South senior, and Trevor Nowak, a Hidden Valley senior, in logging the majority of the Mutiny’s defensive minutes Monday. During play, sly smiles and good-natured ribbing showed the teams’ familiarity with each other. And when the action had ended, pats on the back and laughter — much like the typical reunion — took over. "It was fun seeing some of our past teammates," said Lower, who was a first-team all-SOC selection as a forward each of his final two prep seasons. "Now that they’re back from college, they’ve got their beer bellies. But they’re still in shape. "It was a lot of fun seeing those guys, and I think they had a lot of fun too." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S