High schools: Tokay soccer confident despite loss
Dec. 2—The Tokay High boys soccer team stayed winless on Wednesday after suffering a 5-1 loss to Sheldon.
The Tigers' lone goal came courtesy of Alan Garcia, who found the back of the net near the end of the first half. But three Sheldon goals in the first 20 minutes meant the Tigers went into halftime down 3-1.
"We started off a little bit slow. Simple mistake in the back, didn't follow our run, they score the first one, we got an unlucky PK, but I mean, I think that my team has the skill to not be down this bad, but one of the things we're lacking is a bit of confidence, because I have a very young team," said Tokay coach Erick Santoyo. "I'm starting with three freshmen, three sophomores on varsity, so it's a bit frustrating when we don't get the results a bit, it kind of destroys the guys' confidence. I think the skill's there, we just need to find our rhythm, find our stepping stone, and we'll get to where we need to be."
Tokay put pressure on the Sheldon defense in the second half, but but the Tigers weren't able to get clean shots off amid the defensive pressure. Sheldon, meanwhile, put two more goal in, in the 45th minute and the 79th minute.
Between the scores, the teams combined for four yellow cards as they aggressively fought for possession.
The loss dropped Tokay to 0-3-1, with a season-opening tie against Linden, and losses to Galt and Central Valley.
"There's a reason why I chose these hard teams, because it's good competition for us," Santoyo said. "And like I said, they're going to get us prepared for when the season comes around, so when the season comes, we're a lot more prepared and ready to start scoring goals."
Tokay plays at Sierra today, and has a number of tough matchups over the next month and a half before league play starts on Jan. 14. Tokay won the Tri-City Athletic League with a 5-0-5 record last year. But both of Tokay's leading scorers, Leonardo Dominguez and Carlos Pineda, graduated from that team, as did starting goalkeeper Eric Cahue.
"The guys might not think so, but as a coach I definitely see the improvement," Santoyo said. "Like I said, I find the confidence in them. I know what my team has, and we're going to be good, we're just off to a rough start."
Varsity girls: Lodi 1, Elk Grove 1
The Lodi High girls soccer team opened the season with a tie on the road, with Samantha Rodriguez tallying the lone goal for the Flames.
Madison Fitzer had the assist. Lodi is back in action today with a tournament game against East Union in Manteca.
Varsity girls: Monterey Trail 6, Tokay 0
The Tigers dropped to 1-1 with Tuesday's loss. The Tigers opened the season on Nov. 22 with a 4-0 win over Wheatland.
BASKETBALL
Varsity boys: Escalon 54, Tokay 46
The Tigers dropped to 1-2 with Wednesday's loss at home. Tokay's next game is a road game against Oakdale on Tuesday.
JV girls: Lodi 40, Galt, 12
Makenna Shultz led the Flames with 12 points in Tuesday's victory, along with 8 from Sienna Aitken, 7 from Amelia Varela, and 4 each from Keily Ramirez, Kylie Blum and Khalaya Wright. Lodi is 2-1 this season.
