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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 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 17, 2004 Ashland�s Corey Costantino, left, goes up high in an effort to move the ball downfield to teammate Fabian Garcia-Flores (9) during Tuesday�s 2-1 state semifinal loss to Jesuit. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Crusaders nip Grizzlies Jesuit’s two first-half goals hold up to oust Ashland boys in Class 4A semifinals By ROB McCALLUM Mail Tribune ASHLAND — All season long, the Ashland High boys soccer team thrived on winning close games. By committing fewer errors than their opponents and capitalizing on mistakes, the Grizzlies won the Southern Oregon Conference and three state playoff games. But on Tuesday, Ashland reversed roles and found itself on the losing end of a 2-1 decision to Jesuit in the Class 4A state semifinals at Ashland Middle School. "In a game this intense, there are going to be mistakes, you just have to overcome them," said Jesuit coach Dave Nicholas. "Today we made the least amount of mistakes." Jesuit advances to the state championship game on Saturday against either Lake Oswego or Lakeridge. "You have to hand it to them — they played hard," Grizzly coach Eisa Tiaa Tou Tou said. "We just couldn’t capitalize on our opportunities." Advertisement All of the scoring occurred in the first half, with Ashland answering the Crusaders’ first goal, but not the second. The decisive goal came in the closing minutes of the first half when Jesuit put the ball into play from the midfield. Ashland goalie Gregory Cross advanced to scoop the ball, but it deflected off his hands. After bouncing twice, Jesuit’s Bryan Mullaney scored from less than 5 yards out to break a 1-1 tie. "It was an unfortunate mistake — our timing was just off," Tiaa Tou Tou said. "But there were other errors in the game that made a difference." Jesuit pressured from the start, resulting in a goal in the 13th minute of play. Crusader sweeper Andy Wolverton sent a free kick into play from 40 yards out and after bouncing off several heads, senior Colin Foster corralled the ball at the left corner of the box. Foster then fired the ball into the near side of the net. "Colin can make a great shot with distance," Nicholas said. "He found the ball at the right time and fired." Ashland answered immediately as senior striker Thomas Golding pushed downfield in the 17th minute. With three Jesuit defenders on him, Golding scooped the ball and sent a high arcing pass to a wide-open Fabian Garcia-Flores on the left side of the box. Garcia-Flores leaped to the ball and sent it into the middle of the net. "I saw the defenders shift to Thomas and I screamed to him," said Garcia-Flores, the SOC player of the year. "Fortunately he saw me and I connected." Each team had several looks over the next 15 minutes, but none converting until Mullaney’s fateful score. "It was an opportunistic goal," Nicholas said. "You don’t want to see it come down to that, but you have to take advantage." Facing elimination, Ashland pressured heavily in the second half, spending most of the time on Jesuit’s side of the field. "They threw everything at us," Nicholas said. "We had to play ugly. We couldn’t afford to be fancy like we usually do. They did a good job at taking us out of our game." With five minutes to play, the Crusaders had all of their field players within 30 yards of the net. The Grizzlies got the ball to Garcia-Flores near the top of the box several times, but there were no open looks near the crowded Jesuit goal. Time ran out as Jesuit cleared all of Ashland’s volleys to Garcia-Flores. "I was pleased with the way we pressured in the second half," Tiaa Tou Tou said. "But we didn’t do a good job of controlling the ball." The game was a physical one, with 12 free kicks, four corner kicks and one yellow card. "It was a battle — both teams had size and speed," Tiaa Tou Tou said. "And both teams wanted it very badly." Ashland finishes its season at 15-4. "We still had a wonderful season," Tiaa Tou Tou said. "We will just have to regroup and come back next year." 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