TENINO — Seventy minutes did little to separate Toledo-Winlock United and Tenino on Tuesday. As the clock continued to roll on deep into the second half, a scoreless draw seemed inevitable.
United’s Alfonso Barragan had other ideas, however. In the 72nd minute, he sent a shot from nearly 35 yards out past a diving Grayson Curry and into the upper-right corner of the net. The lone goal was enough for United to leave the black turf of Beaver Stadium with a 1-0 win.
“It was a nice pass, and I got nice control on it,” Barragan said. “I just went for it, and it went in … It was pure adrenaline.”
Barragan’s strike was the breakthrough that United had been searching for since the midway point of the first half, when it started to ramp up the pressure on the Tenino back line.
United was able to get the ball into the box several times in the first half and even earned five corner kicks, but each pass and through ball seemed to be just too strong as the ball skidded quickly along the wet turf.
Their best chance came in the 21st minute, when Curry dove and was just able to deflect a shot from sneaking into the right side of the net.
“They were playing aggressive,” United coach Eliaci Sanchez said. “We have the right idea, and we make the right movements … We’re gonna continue working on the technique.”
United (1-0) had a few more chances late in the first half and early in the second, but the Beavers had the next Grade-A scoring opportunity in the 50th minute.
After United keeper Carter Nash picked up the ball off a pass from a teammate in the box, Tenino was awarded an indirect free kick about 10 yards in front of the goal. The wall did its job, however, blocking the shot, and the deflection was quickly cleared.
Tenino didn’t generate another strong scoring chance. The Beavers (0-1) were disconnected on many of their through balls, as the intended target was often late to react to the pass. As a result, United defenders were able to clear the ball without much pressure.
“As a group, we have to learn how to play off each other,” Tenino coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “We just gotta keep working at it so we’re all seeing the game the same way.”
Tenino will get the chance to bounce back on Friday in Ilwaco, while United will host Stevenson in its home opener on Thursday.
Sanchez is excited to see how his squad continues to build, having already noticed some growth in the first few weeks of the season.
“I’m really pleased with the team and the progress that we’ve made, even just from the jamboree,” Sanchez said. “The team is working really hard. That’s all we need.”
