Finishing Tuesday evening’s match with a flourish that had eluded them during the opening 10 minutes, the Bayfield Wolverines were still unable to erase their deficit against visiting Bloomfield, New Mexico.
Seniors Caleb Donelan and Guillem “Willy” Roca each managed to put a ball past Bobcat goalkeeper Elias Munoz during the final 14 minutes, but the out-of-staters would ultimately claim a 4-3 victory in their second-to-last non-district match this fall.
Bayfield’s comeback commenced in earnest after an unlucky break: junior Shaw Foster missed a 66th-minute penalty kick after being fouled deep inside Bloomfield territory by junior Cane Carmona. Sophomore David Carmona had just netted the guests’ fourth score in the 59th, and the Bobcats (7-7, 3-1 NMAA District 1-4A) appeared to have things in hand.
That also appeared to be the case in the earliest goings. Sophomore David Viramontes beat Wolverine goalie Gavin Davis in only the second minute, and senior Cesar Ramirez struck in the seventh for a demoralizing 2-0 lead.
Coming in off a 6-4 home loss to Telluride – at the time ranked No. 8 in Class 2A –three days earlier, the Wolverines (5-6, 3-1 3A Southwest) swiftly responded, with Foster striking a goal in the eighth minute. And despite both sides having additional opportunities, Davis and Munoz did their work well and the 2-1 score held into halftime.
A poor 47th-minute defensive clearance from out of Bayfield’s penalty area allowed Bobcat senior Jesus Jaquez to evade a drawn-out Davis and rebuild Bloomfield’s lead to two goals as they sought momentum for a 1-4A test Thursday at Aztec.
Bayfield, meanwhile, will host Pagosa Springs at 4 p.m. Thursday. An outright SWL lead is at stake, but the Pirates (8-4, 3-1) hold a 2-1 head-to-head goal-differential advantage via an overtime win over Bayfield at Golden Peaks Stadium back on Sept. 14.
Complicating matters somewhat, BHS will be without feisty defender Shae Railsback; the sophomore received a red-card dismissal late in the match after taking umbrage to being tripped out of bounds near Bloomfield’s bench.
