Ayala and Aguirre Lead Amundsen Soccer Past North Grand

After an early defeat in the city tournament, Amundsen rallied to beat North Grand High School 1-0 Monday night in the state regional playoffs.

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The Vikings controlled the ball the entire first half, with junior Rolando Aguirre scoring 20 minutes into the game.

“I think the boys, they’re definitely hungry,” said coach Alex Perez. “I can see they want this as much as I do.”

But it was quite the opposite in the second half, when North Grand came out with more aggression.

“If they would have come out the way that they played the second half, they would have beat us,” Perez said.

The coach tried to relieve pressure by adding defense to the line-up.

Sweeper Juan Mendoza stopped several North Grand streaks toward the goal, but it was goalie Daniel Ayala that stopped the final tie attempt.

North Grand had a penalty kick with 23 seconds left, which Ayala easily blocked.

“As soon as they kicked it, I was really nervous, but I felt the ball in my hands and felt the confidence that we won the game,” he said.

The Vikings will play Saturday at noon against the winner of Prosser and Northside College Prep High School. The location will be determined later this week.