The Tenino boys soccer team welcomed Montesano to town on Thursday evening, and the Beavers were defeated 4-2 on a windy and rainy night.
Montesano opened the scoring early, but Miguel Espinoza tied the game at one just minutes later. It’s Espinoza’s second straight game with a goal, as he scored four goals in Tenino’s win over Chief Leschi early in the week.
“Espinoza had a heck of a night,” Tenino coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “I think this is the start of him showing he can be an elite player in this league … He’s an absolute complete player. He’s a man on a mission right now. He’s possessed. That’s good for us.”
Tyler Minerich added a goal later in the half, but the Beavers still entered the half down 3-2. The game slowed down in the second half, but Montesano was able to add an insurance goal and hold on for the win.
Fetbrandt praised Radly Whitaker for his effort on the back line, saying his aggressiveness prevented the Beavers from getting on their heels.
“We (Fetbrandt and Whitaker) talked before about relentless effort and being a willing worker on the defense end,” Fetbrandt said. “He just created a ton of attacking chances.”
Fetbrandt also praised David Reudy in net for his efforts.
“He had an absolutely elite game,” Fetbrandt said. “He was so sure-handed. His position was great, his distribution out of the back was great. He’s just carrying over what he did from last year, and he was a stud last season too.”
Despite the loss, Fetbrandt was proud of the way his team competed, especially after getting shutout twice last year against Montesano.
“The final score didn’t go in our favor,” Fetbrandt said. “But we showed that we have taken a huge leap, and we look forward to being competitive in every game forward from here on out.”
The Beavers (1-2, 1-1 1A Evergreen) will make the trip to Forks on Monday.
