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Crosstown rivalry brings fans together

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Lady Bengals win against Lady Patriots; Miyamura boys take lead

The growth of soccer in Gallup is unbelievable, especially with autumn officially here — and the temperatures sure have dropped.

Crosstown rivals Gallup High School and Miyamura High School boys and girls soccer teams put on a show for the town and their fans during a chilly evening Oct. 9 at the Public School Stadium.

GIRLS

Within the first minute of kickoff, Bengals captain and senior Alicia Retana scored to put one on the board.

Then at 18:30, Patriots sophomore Justice Manuelito answered back with a score of her own, which ended the first half, 1-1.

ROUND 2

From 40 minutes to the last two, neither team gave up.

Although the cold caused numbness and leg cramps, both teams knew they had to finish the game and keep themselves on their toes.

The ball was controlled and dribbled, and it made contact with heads, knees and cleats.

Even on the sideline, girls attempted to stay warm by trotting up and down the field. Coaches paced back and forth, setting up their players.

Fans kept warm with blankets, jackets and signs to cheer their team on.

During the second half, the Patriots had plenty of opportunities to put one on the board again with their speed and mentality.

A few shots were close as Bengals goalkeeper Mariana Vega kept the goal clear from shots that were on the ground or almost in but blocked.

Vega moved up and out of the goalie box to try and put one in on the other side of the field on free kicks.

The Patriots had few opportunities to push the ball forward as Vega protected the Bengals’ home.

Coming down to the five-minute mark, one team had to win, and fans were on their feet.

At 4:30, Gallup was favored with a corner kick delivered in the center and knocked in by sophomore Jordan Hanley to put the Bengals in the lead.

Despite the score, Miyamura kept their heads up and pushed the ball more to score before the ref blew the whistle.

But the Patriots came up short, 2-1.

The Miyamura Lady Patriots had a home game against Kirtland Central High School Oct. 11. The Gallup Lady Bengals’ next game will be 6 pm on Oct. 16 at Kirtland Central High School.

BOYS

The Miyamura Patriots and Gallup Bengals boys’ teams matched up after the girls’ game.

Patriots captains led their team to dominate the game within the first few minutes, as captain Jacob Mortensen scored at 36:10.

Two minutes later, Patriots captain Josiah Kruis scored again — he broke away from Bengals’ defense, faked a shot and scored to put the Patriots, 2-0.

Miyamura controlled the game by having clear and open passes to teammates and by sending the ball quickly to score.

At 22:40, Patriots captain Steven Marquez scored a goal by dribbling along the sideline to knock it in, ending the first half at 3-0.

The Patriots were too quick and too clever; two more goals were scored in the second half by Kruis and John Montjoy. The Patriots won, 5-0.

The Miyamura Patriots took on Kirtland Central High School at Kirtland Oct. 11. The Gallup Bengals will take on Kirtland Central at Public School Stadium Oct. 16 at 4 pm.

For more information, visit: www.maxpreps.com

By Boderra Joe
Sun Correspondent