BAYFIELD
A lack of conditioning bit the Bayfield High School boys soccer team in its 8-0 loss to Alamosa on Saturday at Wolverine Country Stadium in the Wolverines’ home opener.
BHS kept pace for the first 20 minutes of the game, but the Wolverines fell off once the pace of the game picked up and they began to tire.
“Unfortunately, I think conditioning is a big issue right now,” BHS head coach Dave Foster said. “We’re out of shape, so we need to get them into game shape.”
Alamosa scored three goals between the 23rd and 28th minute after controlling possession for much of the first half.
The Mean Moose wouldn’t score again in the first half, but they exploded for five goals in the second half.
Octavio Villaseñor finished with a hat trick, scoring two of his goals in a two-minute span in the second half.
“He has speed; that is the key for our forwards,” Alamosa head coach Alcides Ponce said. “You don’t want a forward that is slow.
Villaseñor found pockets between Bayfield’s defenders in order to get his shots off, and he was clinical when he found space in the box.
BHS switched its goalkeeper from starter Austin Bushnell to incumbent starter Ben Young in the 48th minute.
Young showed concussion symptoms in Bayfield’s last game, and there were potential eligibility issues for him leading up to Saturday’s game.
“That was clarified that he was eligible to play,” Foster said. “I think we still would have gone with Austin; we decided during the week we were going with Austin earlier. I think he played well, definitely stepped up in the second half.”
Young made nine saves and allowed three goals during his time in net, making an outstanding double save in the 52nd minute where he blocked one shot with his left foot falling away then dived to the other side of the net to stop a second attempt.
“I was feeling great during that whole half,” said Young, son of Andy and Nancy Young.
Bayfield managed to hold possession better as the game went on, but it lacked a last touch or through ball to put them in on the goal. Part of that issue stems from senior Alex Vitagliano’s inability to play because of suspension. He’ll return Sept. 17 against Center.
Foster saw positive signs from the game in the fact that most of the goals resulted from the Wolverines’ mistakes, such as not marking up or loosening defensively, which the coaching staff will aim to fix in practice.
The team will work on conditioning and trying to fit players into the proper positions and roles as its prepare for its next game Tuesday at Crested Butte.
“We need to figure out how we can fit the right person in that right position,” Foster said. “A lot of players might have to play outside of their comfort zone a little bit.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
