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Orestimba boys’ soccer falls to Denair
Team earns win over Waterford
OHS soccer
The Warriors celebrate after midfielder senior Captain Juan Flores scored a goal against the Coyotes to tie the game. The Coyotes would come back in the Jan. 2 match and score three more goals, ending in a 4-1 loss for Orestimba - photo by Candy Padilla

It was business as usual for the two-time, defending Sac-Joaquin Section Div. VI champions on Tuesday night. After finding themselves tied 1-1 with Orestimba at halftime, the Denair Coyotes found their mojo to end up besting their Southern Athletic League rivals by a 4-1 score.

The Coyotes had their foot on the gas pedal immediately as senior captain Diego Padilla dribbled past defenders and, when he found himself one-on-one with Orestimba goalkeeper Oscar Tovar, skipped an easy goal into the back of the net in the sixth minute.

The Warriors quickly responded less than three minutes later when senior captain Juan Flores fired a shot past Denair’s Sergio Torres.

But Padilla and the Coyotes refused to settle for a draw. Padilla knocked in his second goal of the night before his brother, Goliath scored a goal of his own. The fourth goal came way of Azael Gil.

“Orestimba, they’re tough,” said head coach Antonio Padilla. “But this is a good group. They have the experience.”

Indeed, 13 of the 22 student-athletes on the Coyotes’ roster were members of last year’s Section-clinching team. Of course, their goal is to achieve the prestigious three-peat.  

The Coyotes won again on Friday by a 5-2 score against the Le Grand Bulldogs. Heading into this week, their overall record is 13-5 overall and to 4-1 in the Southern Athletic League. They remain in second place behind the undefeated Delhi Hawks, who are 4-0-1 in league play and 12-3-1 overall.

As for Orestimba, they were also in the win column on Friday as they bested the Waterford Wildcats, 5-3. The Warriors were led by the junior duo of Alfredo Figueroa and Bryan Carmona, who each scored a pair of goals. 

Figueroa and Carmona are Orestimba’s top goal scorers this season. Figueroa leads the team with 21 on the season while Carmona is second with 12.

The fifth goal on Friday came by way of sophomore Hector Madrigal.

Not only are the Warriors back in the win column, but they remain alive for the SAL title with a 9-8-2 overall record and a 3-1-1 league record, sitting in third place behind the Hawks and Coyotes. They will be back in action at 5 p.m. on Wednesday when they travel to Ripon to take on the Knights of Ripon Christian. On Friday, they will meet the Hawks for the second and last time in the 2023-24 season in Delhi at 5 p.m. In their first meeting last month, they played to a 1-1 draw.