OREGON – A slow start aside, there was much to like about the Fremont Ross boys soccer team’s performance Tuesday night.
No, the Little Giants did not come home with a victory – rather a 3-1 loss to Oregon Clay – but they did return with a coach who felt pride in his team.
“I loved what I saw,” coach Alex Coressel said. “Our kids played extremely well tonight. We were down three starters, so I was extremely proud of the effort.”
Things could have turned sour quickly on the Little Giants after giving up a goal to the Eagles in the opening minutes of the match thanks to a turnover which quickly ended up in Ross’ net.
Beyond that slow start, the Little Giants matched the Eagles the rest of the way.
Ross trailed 2-0 at halftime but cut the deficit to one about 15 minutes into the second half when Carter Durbin connected on an assist from Chris Navarro.
With momentum on its side Ross continued to battle but could not get the equalizer before Clay added an insurance goal late.
“We picked it up a little bit more at that point, we just weren’t able to get it in the back of the net,” Coressel said. “We matched what they were putting on the field. The last one they scored, again (like the second goal), was just a good shot.”
Ross is now 7-5-1 overall on the season, 2-4 in the TRAC.
“I was extremely proud of the effort our guys gave,” Coressel said. “After that first goal, we didn’t put our heads down, we fought back and our defense played phenomenal tonight.”
The Little Giants travel to Old Fort Thursday for a 5 p.m. match.