PITSBURG,CA--- Riley Lee’s lone goal for the Albany Cougars was the difference maker in Wednesday’s match, as they went on to defeat the Tennyson Lancers 1-0 as part of the Winter Soccer Classic.
The match showed a fine display of both teams' defense, but that changed when Lee tipped the ball past the grasp of the Tennyson goalkeeper. It appeared that the wet condition of the game might have caused the ball to slip past. This game also happened to come on Lee’s 18th birthday.
“It felt great scoring this goal,” Lee described. “Certainly was the cherry on top (for his brithday).”
Albany’s two starting center-backs were injured in the early part of the game, leaving defenders Fin Piroth and Zane Cicourel to fill in the roles.
“They came up huge in the second half to keep the clean sheet,” said Cougars keeper Josh Solomon-Culp.
Scoring opportunities were shown, and the goalkeepers displayed their abilities as well. For Tennyson’s side, Erick Gonzales blocked a hard shot by punching it out, early in the game, leaving the match tied at 0-0.
Gonzales was really instrumental throughout the match for the Lancers, as he made another diving save in the second half when the game was at its tightest. Solomon-Culp also made a save when he jumped and slapped the ball to deny Tennyson a potential goal.
The biggest chance to get on the board for Tennyson was when Cristian Guzman drew Solomon-Culp out of the goal, and sent a ball through the field with a wide open net, but no one was there to put the ball away.
Albany is back in action on Thursday, as the Cougars travel to St.Mary’s to face them at 3:30 pm. Tennyson will host Bishop O’Dowd on Thursday afternoon.
