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Show Plenty of Yellow Cards as Viking Soccer Finally Beats Lone Peak V '"."T' ' i it JfJ . ... . - i-cA H .- , , r - by Dan Williams After nearly a decade, ten one goal losses and four overtime over-time losses, the Pleasant Grove Viking soccer team earned an overtime victory over rival and number 9 ranked Lone Peak Tuesday, April 19, 2-1. It was Coach Erik Bayless' first victory over the Knights in eight years as head coach of the men's soccer team. Coach Bayless acknowledged the victory by saying "these are the types of wins that can change a program." The Viking team has a good mix of talented veterans and young talent and that was key to the victory. A solid veteran back line and goalie Ben Connor held the Knights scoreless in the run of play, and only a sideline referee's view of something no one else on the field saw in the box resulted in a long discussion resulting in a penalty kick for the Knights and a yellow card for Viking sophomore Ryan Fonseca. The Knights Alex Anderson converted the penalty pen-alty kick about ten minutes into the second half for the first goal of the match. The Vikings began to lose their composure after the call and a few more calls went against them with yellow yel-low cards awarded to Winston Win-ston Sorhaitz and Kevin Fonseca. Fon-seca. But the team settled down "because they wanted to win," in senior play maker Sorhaitz' words. With about 10 minutes left in regulation, a free kick was awarded to the Vikings about 20 yards from the goal on the left corner of the box. Sorhaitz took the free kick that looked destined for the upper V of the goal, but it bounced off a Knight's head in the wall and went into the upper center portion of the goal as the Knight's goalie was going for the block in the upper V. From that point on, the Vikings controlled most of the possession and run of play and looked like the better team. They couldn't get another anoth-er goal before the end of regulation, reg-ulation, so the region rules state a golden goal set of two ten minute halves be played and if there is no score, the game ends in a tie. The Vikings Vi-kings continued to press and got a few looks in the first overtime but with no score, the game went to double overtime. After a run toward the Knight goal, the Knights cleared the ball out to Viking freshman mid-fielder Nate Spencer, who saw his friend, Kevin Fonseca, and passed it to him. Spencer took off on a give and go that Fonseca Fon-seca put right at his feet on stride as Spencer had blown past the first line of midfield defense. With the Viking wing defender still out of place from the clearance and the other central defender choosing to stay with the experienced ex-perienced Viking forwards, Spencer made a quick move faking to his right and blowing blow-ing by the remaining Knight central defender on his left and suddenly was rushing at full speed in the Knight box with only an onrushing Knight goalie to beat. Spencer Spen-cer calmly slotted the ball on Winston Sorhaitz scores on a penalty kick in the second half to tie the game 1-1 against Viking nemesis Lone Peak. Photo courtesy of Timpanogos Times the ground into the left corner cor-ner of the net for the exciting golden goal victory for the Vikings. The team rushed the field and in the euphoria for ward Ryan Fonseca ended up catching Coach Bayless' teeth in the crown of his head, an injury that Fonseca and his mother agreed was worth the victory. |